Suigintou, Solid Snake, Link and Suiseiseki all take an impromptu vacation to that wonderful little town that's called Silent Hill. ... And go insane...
Join us for the logs of the first official run of the Silent Hill TP as run by Psyber!

First among my dolls, you were always the one I cared about the most. Surely my saving you not once, not twice, but thrice is more than proof enough of my love for you. And verily your strength as a doll has more than been proven as of late. I have deemed you ready to become my true Alice. Keep this letter close and tell no one, not even your medium, if you truly desire to meet me. Come to and you shall be welcomed into my arms. I will be there waiting on Monday, July 14th at 5 PM Pacific.

You were always the daughter who reflected the joyous and feminine spirit that I envisioned the perfect girl should have. I desire to meet you so that I may welcome you into my arms as a real girl… as Alice. If you desire to meet with me, tell no one you received this letter. Not your sister… no one. Meet me at <Coordinates> on monday, the 14th of July at 5 PM (pacific) and you shall become my daughter.

You didn't believe I would depart you so easily, did you? I think it's time we put this foolish rivalry behind us once and for all and settle this like gentleman. Just two men. Pistols at sunset. Meet me at and tell no one. As the sun sets, so shall our duel.

My world is in danger again! You must help me… please! You're my only hope! I can only open the portal between our worlds for a brief time. You must meet me on July 14th at 5 PM in ! Don't tell anyone because it's… really embarassing. Just… come alone and I'll explain there, okay?

There's an order logged in the current orders section of X-Ray Unit's database, and delivered to all members, indicating that Special Operation Group X-Ray personnel are to be raised in Readiness status to Defense Condition 3, and are orders to keep gear, weaponry, and transportation avalible for rapid deployment. The reasons cited are 'disturbing trends'.

<X-Union-Chatter> Nayru says, "I see… on the horizon, a pyramid of crimson covered in thick fog."
<X-Union-Chatter> Buzz Buzz says, "What's this about a pyramid, Nayru?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Nayru says, "While looking in the future, that's what I saw. A deep crimson pyramid far off on the horizon hidden in thick fog."
<X-Union-Chatter> Richard Stadler says, "And… hmm. What does that mean, then?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Buzz Buzz says, "I see. Interesting.."
<X-Union-Chatter> Usopp says, "It means we're doomed. Yup. Definately a Doom prediction. I know em when I see em."
<X-Union-Chatter> Dorothy Wayneright says, "Mayan, Incan or Egyptian?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Jill Valentine says, "Stadler I'm on my Way to Dietrich, Should be there in five. Carlos as well, Do me a tiny favor for Carlos ok?""
<X-Union-Chatter> Chrona says, "Do we h-h-have to be d-doomed? I-I'm not s-sure I'd k-know how to deal w-with that.."
<X-Union-Chatter> Nayru says, "I'm not sure yet… I don't know of any crimson pyramids. It must stand for something important. Red's… not a friendly color."
<X-Union-Chatter> Nayru says, "When it's a pyramid."
<X-Union-Chatter> Din says, "You're certainly right about that…"
<X-Union-Chatter> Din says, "Although I must say, Red IS a friendly color otherwise! Hmph!"
<X-Union-Chatter> Usopp says, "Pyramids Equal Mummies! We're all going to be strangled in our beds by bandage wrapped undead horrors!"
<X-Union-Chatter> Din says, "Although I must say, Red IS a friendly color otherwise! Hmph!"
<X-Union-Chatter> Nayru says, "Silly you, Usopp! I don't think so… and red's a fine color!" … "But something was very unfriendly about that one."
<X-Union-Chatter> Nayru says, "Red… the color of blood, of danger, fire, and passion… a pyramid of that color. Sorry, I'll keep thinking on this one until I can give a better answer."

"As of this morning, I'm officially offduty. I have a few personal matters I'll be needing to take care of in person. The plan is to have things dealt with by tonight, but if I don't, I'll be going on an indefinite vacation. Don't worry, I'll stay in touch with the higher-ups. Behave yourselves while I'm out."

<Ranklocked to Rank 6+, Senior Allies, and Optimus Prime>
"If I'm not back in contact by midnight, Adai has been instructed to list me as missing in action and release a few contingency files to everyone listening to this part of the message. Naturally, Julian, Sisko, Blade, and Optimus are in charge. Keep the kids in line and try not to let the Confeds see you sweat. I'm not entirely sure what I'm walking into."

Sunset… the dropping sun, low in the sky, casts a fiery shadow over the small, backwater town that the four Elites were all summoned to without knowledge that eachother was coming. Each one had received a letter, each one had received a message from their past to beckon them to this town.

The town looked almost quaint. One of those small towns untouched by tourism or heavy population. A little slice of Americana, right? One road going in, one road going out the opposite end! It's settled on a pristine looking lake with sapphire waters. The kind of place you'd want to retire to if you were near the end of some cheesey movie with a happily ever after. The streets are relatively unbusy, everyone having gone home already for their suppers. The sign on the outside of town reads:

Welcome to Georgeton.
Population: 1568

And the town square in the center of town, where each of these four people were supposed to meet their destiny awaits.

Solid Snake is being cautious. None of this seems like Liquid's usual MO, even if the letter *does* sound like him. Whatever the deal is, Snake suspects something is up… but he has no idea what. So, of course, he is using himself as bait. Admittedly, bait is kind of hard to take when it's moving under the cloak of Stealth Camo; but Snake wants to get an idea of just what the hell is going on before he reveals himself in any real way. So, one nigh-invisible distortion quietly slinks its way toward the town square…

It's a rather pretty town. The perfect place for the perfect doll to become the perfect girl~yes? Nonetheless, it was at the bidding of the letter from the enigmatic figure known only as 'Father', that the third of the Rozen Maidens should show up so excitedly! Of course Father would be here for her… And then she could go back to everyone and show off her new status as 'Alice' to the other dolls and proove that she's truly Father's choice for the perfect girl.
Into Georgeton on a flying doll case races Jade Stern, hands propped on the edge of her case as she zooms for the center of town with the lid popped open!

Link's taken a different route about things entirely. The green-clad warrior's strolling down the peaceful streets with a wary gleam in his eyes, but only a touch. It was REALLY unusual for Midna to send a letter… especially in that tone. Maybe she was sick or troubled, or TRYING to be cute… alas, these thoughts weren't helping matters.
Looking up from the crinkled parchment as with it carefully held away from his face… Link scans the town with a few quick sweeps of his gentle blue eyes whilst approaching Town Square. "Now that I think about it, WHY did she say to come several days later if it was urgent?" Far be it from Link to understand the snarky Twilight Princess's ways…

This is it: the proverbial moment of truth. Suigintou floats at the edge of the town in her carrying case, lid open, eyes staring of in the direction she's supposed to go. There is a moment as she takes out her letter and looks over it one last time. Then a final message over radio. After the radio is turned off, she simply… hovers there for a moment, thinking. Whatever was on her mind gets forcefully shoved into the background. She breathes out a slow breath, and her face takes on a different expression: one of pride and accomplishment, determination, and … hope.
Much like Suiseiseki, the first Rozen Maiden's case takes off at surprising speed, racing for the very same square.

<X-Union-Chatter> Link says, "Huh, that's odd… now that I think about it, WHY did she say to come several days later if this was urgent…?"

It's without even an attempt to be stealthy or anything, that the third doll sets her case right down in the center of town. The letter said right here. And it's almost time, isn't it? Digging though her meager posessions within her case, the third maiden whips out a little Detective Kunkun wristwatch, a couple of taps at the face to make sure it's working before red-green eyes scan about. The square's so… Deserted. It's almost eerie, but nonetheless, she leaves her case floating, hopping on out with a little click of heels as she lands lightly on the pavement. "Oooooookay… This… Is the place ja~desu? So where's…?" She trails off. mumbling thoughtfully to herself.

Suigintou hardly pays attention to who or what is in the town until she nears the square. Why then? Because there's someone there who very pointedly should not be! Her case slows and stops. She stands up inside it, and fixes the younger doll with an unblinking stare. There's slight confusion in it, but the true extent is hidden through force. Her irritation is much more noticeable. "My, my, Suiseiseki. Always showing up where you're not wanted. I recommend you leave before I force you to do so. I have a very important reason to be here, and there are not supposed to be uninvolved persons here. Hurry along. You may even be able to go unharmed if you leave now."
Her wings grow out slightly, and their feathers take on a gleam like knives. They stay attached … for now.

<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head sticks a flag in this channel and claims it for his TP.

Link's paying no attention to Snake's little sneakery so he's probably not spotted him… and probably won't be. The Doll's confrontation quickly shakes him out of his confuzzled funk and draws full attention from him. He looks first from Suiseiseki then to Suigintou before dashing over somewhat and announcing, "Sorry for butting in… what's wrong here?" That's primarily aimed at Tou, naturally, whom he affixes a harder look to for a moment. "… and why are you here too?" Something's fishy about this…

<X-Union-Chatter> Gold says, "So many things going wrong…"
<X-Union-Chatter> Suiseiseki slips into furious German, <You take her back>~desu! <Suiseiseki was called here, not her>~desu! <This is where he said he'd be meeting /me/>~desu! Ah- … Erh… <Suiseiseki can't say, cause she was told not to>~desu!

"…Let me guess," comes Solid Snake's voice from another side of the town square, the Field Marshal appearing from seemingly nowhere as his Stealth Camo clicks off. "You all got a letter from someone you know, calling you here and ordering you to tell no one." He lets out a quiet swear, moving toward the center of the square and making a quick gesture. "Everyone, close together. We've been had, this is some kind of trap."

Someone once said:
"In my restless dreams, I see that town.
Silent Hill.
You promised youd take me there again someday,
But you never did.
Well I’m alone there now…
In our special place…
Waiting for you…"

Thankfully, none of you are Mary or James Sunderland! However, they serve as another great example of Silent Hill's ability to call to people. And as the four of them meet up in that deserted city square, there's a moment of pause in the setting sun between them. Slowly, as night settles in, a fog starts to roll into the town. Heavy fog, the kind of mist that envelopes small lakeside towns. You could almost cut it with a knife at how thick it is. A chill wind howls through the town, biting with bitter cold.

Anyone who looks around… the town seems different than it was before. That sign that said 'Georgeton General Store'? Now reads 'Silent Hill General Store'. The street layout seems subtly different as well. Why, that sign on the outside of town even reads differently!

Welcome to Silent Hill.
Population: (and the rest is rusted off)

Somewhere in the distance, an Air Raid Siren goes off and the sky grows just a bit darker. (Now'd be when you all vanish)

<Comm Signals> Pyramid Head transmits the sounds of heavy breathing followed by a loud air raid siren.

<X-Union-Chatter> Suigintou's signal abruptly vanishes from this frequency.
<Union-IC> Suigintou's signal abruptly vanishes from this frequency.
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Damnit you little bastard doll! Where are you, boatlights!"
<X-Union-Chatter> Link says, "I'll figure this-"
<X-Union-Chatter> Link's signal disconnects into static. BLIP!
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "Psyber, which one of them is 'boatlights'? I don't keep track of nicknames."
<X-Union-Chatter> Suiseiseki froths raves and screeches angrily in further colorful German before-
<Union-IC> Link's signal disconnects into static. BLIP!
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Suiseiseki."
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "…. ARTHUR, what was Link's last location?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Yutaro says, "…Have you considered tracking her radio?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Suiseiseki's radio transmits an air raid siren, suddenly and abruptly disconnecting from all Union channels and completely disappears from any and all tracking systems as well.
<Union-IC> Suiseiseki's radio transmits an air raid siren, suddenly and abruptly disconnecting from all Union channels and completely disappears from any and all tracking systems as well.
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "God /damn/ it."
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell asks, very dryly, "Which god?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber | ARTHUR: Suiseiseki was last in the same location as Suigintou and Link. A small town called Georgeton.
<X-Union-Chatter> Solid Snake> Adai …
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "Okay, do we have any idea what they were doing there? As usual, I think I missed something."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber | ARTHUR: No idea. There are no filed mission plans for that area.
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "Thank you ARTHUR … Psyber?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber transmits the sound of a gun being cocked, "Yes'm?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "Do *you* happen to know what they were doing there?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "No idea. All I know is botht he dolls had been acting odd the last few days."
<X-Union-Chatter> Michiko says, "If you gimme the coordinates, I could be there in like a minute and check things out."
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell | Masi says, "What gets my attention is that there was one of those stray metal-on-concrete transmissions, with an *air raid siren* in the background this time, right around the same time … and I swear there was an air raid siren in the background of one of their radios at the moment we lost contact.
<X-Union-Chatter> Yutaro says, "…There was."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Yeah, I noticed that too."
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "Psyber? Do your travel plans for the evening include Georgeton?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "For me they do."

That voice… The first doll… Suiseiseki is already scowling before she even looks up, a light shuffle of tiny feet as she WHIPS around to face Suigintou. "Oh HELL no~desu!" One little finger pointing for the black clad doll as the third maiden instantly clicks into 'bicker mode'. "What the HELL are you doing here? Suiseiseki was called here and NOT you~desu, so just go! Shoo! Go home to your medium~desu! He wants you more anyway~yes!" Already she's ranting, feet stomping childishly as she flails her arms.
And enter Link and Snake. "Wh-… What? Father would never want to make YOU TWO Alice? What's Snake and funnygreenhat Elf boy doing here~desu! You go too~yes? Go! Sh- EYAAAAHHH!!!"
She had hardly noticed the settling fog, but Snake doesn't need to tell her to form up twice as the air raid siren causes Desu to JUMP nearly ten feet in the air. "Trap!? N-no way~desu!"

RADIO: Winry Rockbell radios Psyber and Solid Snake: Okay … what's up, Adai?
RADIO: You radio Winry Rockbell and Solid Snake with 'I'm curious too.'
RADIO: Solid Snake radios Psyber and Winry Rockbell: <Adai> I wasn't supposed to release any of this until midnight, but the situation's changed… While you're there, you're looking for Snake, too. Part of his instructions were if he didn't make contact again by midnight, to send a scouting party out to his private beacon's last location. The private beacon just went out. Three guesses where it was.
RADIO: You radio : Psyber sighs, "I'll only need one."
RADIO: Winry Rockbell radios Psyber and Solid Snake: Well, slag … what should I take equipment-wise? Heavy combat gear, mecha … ?
RADIO: You radio Winry Rockbell and Solid Snake: Psyber sighs, "I'll only need one."
RADIO: You radio Winry Rockbell and Solid Snake with 'I'm going in at least moderately armed to investigate this.'
RADIO: Over the radio (to Psyber and Solid Snake), Winry Rockbell hms. "Guess I go with standard field gear … I'll have Flare Gryphon on standby, though.
RADIO: Winry Rockbell radios Psyber and Solid Snake: All right. Psyber, where're we going?
RADIO: You radio Winry Rockbell and Solid Snake with 'Georgeton, Virginia. America 249.'

Suigintou's reaction holds many similarities with that of her sister, but also many differences. Her head tilts up just a bit, such that she ends up literally looking down her nose at Suiseiseki. She lacks the arm-flailing, but her wings still gleam. "I have someone to meet. Now /leave/. I will not tolerate the presence of some irritating, foolish little doll like /you/ when I have important things to…" She trails off.
Having the third doll here is one thing. Having two other people show up is quite another. As first Link questions their reasons for being hear, and then Snake suggests a trap, the first Maiden grows more anxious. She looks from one to another, before her gaze becomes a true glare. Suiseiseki, of course, is the main focus of it. "<All of you, leave /now,/>" she commands, slipping into stern but somehow worried German. "<I will not have you interfering! Any of you! Leave or I will utilize all the force available to me in removing you forcefully from this town!>"
The air raid siren gets a startled rustle of her wings, while her expression breaks just for a second into terror. Then it's back to stern, and very very urgent. "<Hurry! /Now/!>"

The sudden change in scenery doesn't go unnoticed by Snake - neither does the fact that his personal beacon is now announcing 'Synch Lost' on the Solid Eye System. "Damn it," he mutters, bringing his FAMAS up in a smooth motion. He immediately begins sweeping the area, and begins issuing orders in a quick, firm voice of authority. "Everyone, close together. Form up. Suigintou, behind me. Suiseiseki, behind Link. We're going to move slowly down opposite sides of the street and cover each others' movement. We try and get to the exit. Whatever the hell this is, we're leaving. Now." He looks pointedly at Suigintou, and adds, "That goes for *everyone*, unless you want me to stay behind in hopes that Liquid Snake is gonna show up so I can kill him. Don't be an idiot, this is a *trap*. We can bicker about it later, but for now we're *LEAVING*." The look in his eyes suggests that arguing right now would be a very, very bad idea.

The Master Sword finishes leaving its resting spot with a SCHLING just as Link slips the Mirror Shield to his other arm! "…! You got a letter too?! … whatever this is, I /really/ don't like the likes of it… crap, I knew the letter was fishy…"

LInk nods once to Snake, hopping over to the hyperactive doll, who despite her antics, gets a subdued half-grin from the Hylian. "The name's Link, by the way. Now c'mon, let's get out of here before something else happens!" That's right, his name's not weirdhat elf boy!

"Voice in your head(aka pemit): You're such a dog of war. They'll never let you retire, will they? Never a vacation… never a break. Serve your country… serve your people. It's for the good of all." to Solid Snake.
"Voice in your head(aka pemit): What a dumb doll. You fell right into a trap. YOU? You think YOU could be Alice? With how flawed you are? No matter what you're told, you're just a broken, unfinished doll." to Suigintou.
"Voice in your head(aka pemit): You're SO STUPID! Father make you Alice? You? The doll who said you didn't care if you were Alice any more? What a dumb little girl." to Suiseiseki.
"Voice in your head(aka pemit): Well well well… look who fell into another obvious trap. Par for the course, isn't it? Do you ever *THINK* before you act?" to Link.

Leaving already? Snake gets an almost hurt look from those red-green eyes. "B-but-" This was where Father said to meet- He has to be here! Her logic is infallible! But Mercury Lampe snaps her back into her previous fit, if only for a moment, "You're wrong~desu! Suiseiseki has someone to meet here and he's more important than aaaaanyone Suigintou could ever HOPE to see~yes! Suiseiseki'll kick your ass before-" Before what? Before Suigintou can get all forceful?
"Oh screw this~desu…"Well it doesn't matter as the environment gets significantly more creepy with the fog. And just like that, the third maiden turns, attempting to fly right off into the distance. May as well leave, right?

Wrong.

No more than maybe a minute later she returns, the most bewildered look etched on her porcelain features. "Wh-… What the hell? Suiseiseki went that way- how the hell did she- UGH…"
A resigned sound escapes her as Snake sounds damn serious as she slips in behing the green-clad Hylian. "Nnf." A disgruntled little huff is the only response Link gets as a small green speck of light flits out of her case, floating over and growing into a larger flash of green, finally settling down to reveal… A watering can held in her hands. Best. Weapon. Ever.

And then she winces. As though slapped across the face, though she says nothing further.

Link stares in bewilderment at Suiseiseki's outburst, then folds his arms. The letter was definitely a fake, he was sure of that now… unless… "Could this be that world Midna wanted to save… it doesn't look at all like what I thought. Or is this a trap…" Desu's return's heralded by Link's eyes narrowing straight up at the heavens. "Huh?" Wasting no more time, he takes in the surroundings. "…Okay, we're definitely somewhere else.. why's this town abandoned?— Wha? Who said that?!" What in the world's Link talking about? Left, right, and all around, he looks about frantically for some reason, but finally gives up… "…."

Suigintou snaps right back at Suiseiseki, "<I said leave! There is no one more important than the person I am here to meet! /No one/!>" Snake is next to earn her attention. She does not look like she wants to listen to him at all. In fact, the way her wings curve out just a bit further, it's as if she's about to attack him for implying that she shut up and listen to someone as insignificant as… oh… the Field Marshall. She's very serious, very angry, and probably resembles something like an animal backed into a corner at this point.
Then something happens. "<… What…?>" Her eyes go wide. Her wings retract to normal size, and her feathers return to their normal soft, ragged state. The Rozen Maiden herself collapses into a sitting position inside her case. She glances from one side of herself to the other, observing the fog and the state of the buildings around her. It's finally dawning on her that this is /not/ what was supposed to happen. Now is when she pays attention to authority, wordlessly slipping into the formation ordered by Snake.

And it's about when everyone suddenly starts looking around as though they've heard something that Snake does the same. His eyes narrow, and he begins looking around swiftly and sharply, leading the way with the barrel of his rifle. "…the hell with this," he finally mutters. "Let's move!" When they finally reach the dead-end, Snake's one visible eye narrows. "…blocked in." He turns to address the other three. "Alright. Ground rule. All four of us are cut off from the outside world. It looks like whatever this place is, it's going to try and mess with our heads. So we *stay* *together*. No one goes off on their own, ever, for any reason. Even if you see whoever it is you're supposed to be here to see. We stay in pairs, or all four together." He brings his rifle up, pointing idly skyward for a moment, and looks to Suigintou. "I know you two don't like to listen to orders, and I know you two don't like each other. But I need the two of you to trust me, and if I give an order, follow it without question, no matter what it is. I'm going to try and get all four of us out of here, *alive*. But I can't do that without cooperation. Are we clear?"

He waits a moemnt to hear responses, then points down the side street. "Alright, let's move. There's electricity that way. Could be someone. It could also be a trap, so everyone stay on guard."

And as the four of them walk in formation down the street, already the town starts its work on them. The fog hangs heavy, and all the buildings seem abandoned and boarded up. That main street leads them a fair way before the entire street seems to be… blocked by a hold in the ground at least 20 feet deep that runs across the entire street. You didn't seriously think escape would be that easy, did you?

However, there's a faint glimmer of hope. From down a sidestreet, the yellow glow of a building lit up shines through the fog, almost beckoning them! Someone… someone in this godawful abandoned hellhole is alive!

"You don't need to tell me twice!" LInk's one of the first to start moving… not for any cowardly reason, but the sooner they get out of here… the better. He's sure of that. "Yeah, let's stick together!" The hole's eyed warily by the Hylian when he reaches it… you don't see those too often without a given reason! His head snaps about to view the light, then the hole with its fog… which he cannot for the life of him see through too well.

Looking away from the light for the moment, Link yanks out his treasured Longshot and activates it with a SQUEEZE of the handle. The magical 'laser' guide beam lights up, but doesn't pierce the fog. Even so, Link aims the tool at where he HOPES the other end is and lets the spring-loaded hook fly! …to little effect. Moments later the chain retracts… Link frowns, tucks the tool away, and turns to follow Snake while keeping an eye on Desu. "What the heck could've plowed a hole in a street so big the Longshot can't get across…?" Now this.. a trap…?

Suigintou is listening to some extent, but the majority of her attention is somewhere else. There's enough of it here in the present to keep her following Snake, and to have her stop when he does. His question gets a faint nod, but no spoken response. Nor does she really go 'on guard'. Her wings are kept small, and she doesn't even summon Mei Mei. Troubled doll is troubled, clearly!

Damn straight Suiseiseki doesn't like her sister. And her fingers grip that little golden watering can rather tightly as the reality is clearly beginning to sink in. The voice- though it looks like other people heard… SOMETHING, she keeps to herself on the matter, face scrunching into a childish expression of mixed resignation and utter disappointment.
For the time being, the third doll opts to now pointedly avoid even looking at the first, absent nods and a depressed "Fine~desu." afforded the Field Marshall as she floats behind Link- bumping into his back clearly as she's not paying too much attention when he stops to try- and fail his hand with the hookshot. "Mphh… Great job~desu." She grumps
Looks like Suigintou isn't the only troubled doll. Anyway… Stay in pairs. Suiseiseki can do that. The place is a lot creepier now anyway, so it's not like she's going to float away from Link any time soon.

With everyone falling into step, Snake moves as well, obviously.

As you guys move down the sidestreet, the building with electricity comes into view! There's the healthy yellow glow of light from windows, and soon a sign becomes visible. That sign reads 'Davidson's Diner' across the top in bright purple letters! And while the blinds are clearly drawn down on the window, the shadowy shapes of figures moving around, as well as several voices, can be heard from inside. And hey! The sign on the door at the front clearly says 'Open' on it.

Snake moves smoothly ahead; as they come closer to the diner, he holds up a hand, indicating everyone should stop for a moment. His Stealth Camo switches on, and the soldier begins silently moving his way up next to the door in a near crouch. He listens for a moment while invisible, and then switches it off, reappearing, before moving to stand. He makes another series of gestures, indicating for everyone to approach. Link is directed to stand behind the door; when the Hylian gets close, Snake murmurs, "On my order, open it, and stay behind the door." Suigintou and Suiseiseki are directed behind Snake. "If someone sticks in the door, you're in the best position to hit them." He himself stands next to the door, so that when it opens, he'll be able to turn right in and give the room a quick visual sweep to see just what's going on.

Link strides through the fog, ever-watchful of Suiseiseki even after the grumpy comment. However, it DOESN"t go unanswered… in fact, Desu gets a somewhat rude, "Aww, stuff it. Like there's harm in trying?!" Step after step takes him closer to the dinery, but he pauses a good distance from it. "Just one building from all of these?"

Link answers Snake with a nod, shuffling over near the door and putting a hand firmly on the doorknob…

Suigintou just keeps following along. There's not much other choice at this point - staying behind, alone and depressed with no idea how to get back, is not a very appealing alternative to going with the others. The light from the diner does pull some of her thoughts back to the present. She looks up, first to the sign, then to the windows, though she doesn't seem as interested as she would be normally. Again, she floats into position behind Snake. Link's reprimand against Suiseiseki is, if anything, ignored. Normally that would at least get a smug giggle.

Right, great, put Desu to work with Junk behind Snake. Let's just see how well that works, shall we? Link however is replied in kind with a childish little scowl and a sticking out of her tongue. Regardless, after the Field Marshall's initial investigation of the diner and the call to do so, she falls in behind him as bidden. Yes. She's aiming her watering can right for the door as she pointedly further tries to ignore the crestfallen Mercury Lampe.

Snake gives the signal, and as soon as Link pulls the door, swings around the corner into the diner - his assault rifle is not *up*, per se, but he's got it ready in case he has to shoot.

And as the diner is opened, the horrifying secret of Silent Hill is revealed! It's a control room with a do-Nah. Just messin with ya.

Instead, there's a tall man with brown hair in a white apron behind the counter of the diner bar, wiping it down with a cloth. He might look quite familiar to some people in the room, "Well howdy strangers! Welcome to mah diner! My name's Sinclair Davidson! Come in and set down that rifle so you can relax for a spell. Best food in town, I say. Cooked by none other than my wife, Milly, and my daughter, Lapis!"

There's a call from the kitchen before a slightly pale red-headed woman sticks her head out and tosses a towel at Sinclair, who ducks as she says, "Listen mister! Flattery will get you nowhere. You still gotta wash the windows. it's your turn!" She chides before a small girl in a sundress with rust colored hair and a very… unique eye condition… runs out with a pad in her hand, "Can I take your or-WOOOOOOOW!" She boggles when she sees Snake, looking at him in amazement, "You look just like my uncle, Sheriff Jack Johnson!" She points to a table in the corner where a man in a tan uniform sits with a plate of cherry pie and a cup of coffee. The only notable difference between him and snake is that he has an eyepatch over his right eye, "Well if the girl ain't right. You is the spittin image of me before I lost my eye in that car accident!" He guffaws a few times. Quite a warm reception for such a deserted town, yeah?

The funny part here is that Snake currently has the Solid Eye System over his left eye… so he might as well be wearing a patch.

The not-so-funny part is that Snake falls dead still, his mind trying to comprehend what he's looking at. Sheriff Big Boss. "…What the hell?!" The others in the room get less notice; none of them are Big Boss, let alone YOUNG Big Boss.

It's /him/. Suigintou, formerly sitting quietly in her floating case, perks up immediately at the sight of 'Sinclair Davidson'. The name difference, the accent, the fact that this man is married and has a daughter resembling Souseiseki-none of those things are strong enough to override the resemblance to a certain someone in her mind. And that resemblance is what gets her to move.
Her case sails out over the group towards him, while she quickly gets to her feet within it. Her eyes are wide, crazed, and unless prevented, she would grab onto the man himself as she spouts off questions in yet more German: "<Psyber? Psyber?! What are you doing here? You have to take me home! We're going back! We cannot stay here! I won't- He wasn't- I couldn't tell you anything! I couldn't! You understand, don't you? The letter said I couldn't! I /couldn't/! It would end everything but it didn't even /happen/! We have to get back. Don't take these people. They don't matter!>"

Link just kind of shoots another sheepish grin at Suiseiseki before throwing the door open. Despite never being ordered to, Link takes a peek after Snake when nothing comes barreling out with guns blazing. What he sees is gape-worthy… so what the four will see is, naturally, a gaping Link. This was downright creepy. The Multiverse might be full of weird happenings, but who could believe this? "… Uh…"

Yeah, he's looking right at Milly for that moment when she peeks out. The resemblance to Malon's disturbing… at least the skin color.

RADIO: Winry Rockbell radios Psyber and Solid Snake: … Adai? Did Snake have any reason that you know of for his 'vacation plans'? Anything at all?
RADIO: Solid Snake radios Psyber and Winry Rockbell: <Adai> (sounding worried, and torn) Half an hour. Give me half an hour. Snake made me promise. If he hasn't contacted us in half an hour…
RADIO: You radio Winry Rockbell and Solid Snake with 'Half an hour, alright.'
RADIO: Winry Rockbell radios Psyber and Solid Snake: This is as much about the other three as about Snake. Psyber, did Suigintou have any reason that *you* know of to come to this hick town?
RADIO: You radio Winry Rockbell and Solid Snake with 'No, but she ran away from home three days ago'
RADIO: Winry Rockbell radios Psyber and Solid Snake: She didn't leave any hints behind … okay, what about Suiseiseki? Who's her medium … ?
RADIO: You radio Winry Rockbell and Solid Snake with 'Ino Yamanaka.'

"………….." That's…

Plans always change at the last possible moment, don't they? With Suigintou zipping into the Diner, Suiseiseki is quick to follow, "H-HEY! Where do you thinkg you're going~Desu! Snake said- … …" Snake's orders to watch the door are quickly forgotten as she locks right up. Red-green eyes nearly bugging out at the sight of- Well. Psyber is there that's one thing- and Snake is facing down… Snake? Milly gets not a glance- though she does watch her elder sibling try and explain her actions to the Psyber-a-like, a slight frown tugging at her lips she sets down, heels clicking to the floor before-
Lapis. The girl in the sundress gets her rapt attention immediately. Puzzlement, confusion, blank and stupid are perfect words to describe Jade Stern's face as she stares practically in the mirror. Because the girl shares her spitting image. Her /TWIN/'s spitting image. "WH-" … "S-Souseiseki~desu?"
Desu just had a brainbreak. And for a moment it shows- at least before she attempts to tackle the girl. "Souseisekiiii! Suiseiseki is sorry~desu! She should have toooold you~desuuuu!" She wines in the process.

RADIO: Winry Rockbell radios Psyber and Solid Snake: Masi says she can't get in contact with Ino right away … well, if we can't sort this out quickly, we'd better see if she knows what's going on. Anyway, the sheriff here is being rather unhelpful. I'm not sure if he's actively hiding something or not …

Lots of assault occuring in the diner it seems. At Snake's shocked expression, Sinclair says, "Well nah! Dun just stand there, come on in and we'll fix you somethin' ta ea-Hey!" He lets out a yelp as the doll grabs him and starts yelling, "Wha..bu..hey now! Ah'm not this Psybah fella! My name is Sinclair! And I dunno who you ah, but I'd like'n ya ta let go of me no-Hey! Get off of my daughter!" Sinclair says, practically shoving Tou out of the way as he glares at Suiseiseki.

Lapis is easily tackled when caught off guard, and the first thing that Suiseiseki would notice is that she's quite obviously NOT a doll. She's a bona fide (thank you snake for telling me how to spell it) human girl! And she begins to bawl as the doll tackles her, "I dunno who you….you… think I am..am. but I'm not he-her.." She sobs, "Get off me please don't hurt me!"

And to the rescue, out of the kitchen with a very large straw broom, Milly comes running out swinging it, "Hey you! get off our daughter! How dare you come in here and accost her like that!" She swings the broom at Suiseiseki wildly, swatting her as she tries to chase her away from young Lapis.

Sheriff Johnson slowly stands up and walks his way over to snake, extending his hand as he says, "Jack Johnson! Good ta meet ya, son! I been sheriff around these parts for just a little bit. Year or two now, but I take my job seriously." He laughs as he stares at the others in the cafe, "Quite the menagerie you brought with you, eh?"

Once everyone is in the door, Snake finally begins to get ahold of himself. "Suiseiseki, Suigintou. Let the poor people be. Whoever they are, they're not who they look like." Snake glances at the man looking right at him, and then adds, "Trust me on that." He then turns to Johnson and holds out a hand. "Iriquois. Iriquois Pliskin. I apologize for us barging in like this. We're stuck in town at the moment."

Pretty pretty redhead… Was it Malon…or was it Cremia… or someone else entirely? Link was thinking Cremia, with that manner of speaking about her! But… why would she be here? "Malon… er, Cremia…? Wait, wife..?!" All that's mumbled just under his breath… yep, he's a ball of confusion now. He stiffens when Desu runs off… he's been TRYING to keep an eye on her, but can't seem to keep his eyes off of the disturbing resemblance Milly has to two people he knew he really liked…

With all the craziness going on around, Link's just standing there shocked… this only lasts until the broom's thrown, THEN he winces. "Uhm…." Quickly he shakes his head, TRYING to clear his thoughts… not doing too well. "And my name's Link," Says the Hylian, who's looking more than a little perplexed by now, and doesn't sound at all confident.

Let go? And miss the chance she has to cling to something familiar amongst all this weirdness? Like hell! Suigintou is very reluctant to release him, and in fact doesn't take it as serious. "<Don't- Don't joke about>- Ah!" Until he shoves her away. That gets another moment of wide-eyed shock (not to say her eyes weren't wide already), but it's quiet this time. Snake's words, and everything else around her, are all but ignored. She stares for a moment. Then, like before, she drops back to sitting in her case. More staring. At last she backs off.
Her carrying case lands with a soft 'thump' against the floor, while Mercury Lampe simply dwells on her thoughts.

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake, quietly. "I want you all to listen, very carefully."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "This man I'm talking to? Is my dead clone father. A man I killed personally."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "That's how I know this place is screwing with us, and these people aren't real. 'cause he /can't be here/."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou, quieter and apparently to herself, "…notjunk…"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…no. You're not junk. Don't listen to whatever this place is telling you."

Broom! Dodge! Really though, Desu is too busy clinging to the very human little incarnation of her twin to effectively get out of the way in time- and so she's broomed! Though it's not enough to seriously damage her, it does detach her. And quick enough Suiseiseki is back behind Link, crimson eye peeking out from behing the Hylian's leg, staring at Lapis- as well as the very angry woman with the broom- and… Psyber's glaring at her too…
Snake doesn't need to tell her twice that these clearly aren't the people she knows. "S-sorry~desu…" The Third Rozen mumbles sheepishly.

Link doesn't seem overly concerned about the people here. So long as they stay friendly! Hence when Suiseiseki ducks behind him he moves slightly more in front of the doll to give her some cover, like any hero should! On the other hand, he can't help but scratch the back of his head in wonder… what to say here…. for once, he's speechless… UNTIL a bright idea lights up in his noggin'! "Hey, what can you tell us about this town?"

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou keeps mumbling.
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "All of us are Union Elites. We've faced down the worst things the Multiverse can throw at us and lived to tell about it. None of us is worthless, or junk, or a dog of war, and we're all going to get out of this alive."

"Pleasure to meet you, Pliskin! They say every man has a doppelganger. Never thought I'd meet mine!" The one-eyed man lets out a hoarse laugh as he takes the hand of Snake and shakes it. Lapis retreats behind her mother, who in turn returns to Sinclair's side as she says to Link, "I'm Milly Davidson!" In a bright tone. However, before many ammends can be made, the radio in the corner which was playing music soon bgins to crackle with static! And then… an air raid horn goes off again. Sinclair narrows his eyes as he pulls out a double-barreled shotgun from under his counter and some shells, loading them in, "Jack… take my wife and daughter and get them to the church. I'll follow soon after." he says cooly, clicking the shotgun shut as he heads for the door. Milly grabs Lapis, picking her up in her arms as she heads towards the Sheriff, who nods and heads out the door after Sinclair, the three running up towards a church so large its even visible in the fog.

Should they follow them out, the group would see the faux Psyber standing in the street, taking off his apron as he mutters, "It's been so long… why now?"

At this time, Suigintou, Suiseiseki, and Link are officially 'missing' following the abrupt loss of their radio signals. All three were, at the time, in a small town called Georgeton, located in western North America-249; Winry and Psyber went to investigate.

There wasn't much to find: Winry recorded tricorder scans of the spot where the three of them were standing just before they disappeared, but there were no traces which her tricorder could pick up on which would suggest what happened to them. Questioning the locals proved fruitless as well. Psyber allowed himself to be temporarily incarcerated with intent to continue observing the town.

Winry's suspicion is that we're going to need to bring magical, psychic, and/or other supernatural means of tracking to bear if there's any hope of picking up on what *did* happen to the missing individuals. Short of that, all we can do is hope they make it back in decent condition.

"This is Snake, checking in. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm gonna be a while longer. I'm afraid I can't go into what's keeping me, but I'm alright for the time being. Julian, Sisko, Blade, and Optimus are in charge until I'm back - follow the chain of command like usual. I'll keep in touch. Yutaro, until I return, you're assigned to Ben Sisko. Follow his orders like you would mine."

<Ranklocked 6+, Senior Allies, Optimus Prime>
"As I'm sure all of you are guessing, my check-in is a prefab I recorded before I left for Adai to post. If you're hearing this, it means I haven't checked in and Adai has gone to contingency. The summary of the situation is, I recieved a letter from Liquid Snake advising me to come to Georgeton to settle things once and for all, and tell no one. The letter sounded exactly like him, but this is nothing like his usual MO. I went in expecting a trap, and kept a beacon on. Adai will be able to give you my current location, or if my beacon has gone out, my last known one. Have a tactical team sent out to scout around, but be prepared for some sort of ambush or trick. Don't let it get out that I've gone missing. We don't want a damn panic."

For those of rank 6+ or Senior Ally, Snake's duty status has been changed to 'Missing In Action'.

Thanks to an unrelated remark by Suiseiseki on the radio, Suigintou ends up death glaring at her sister, mumbling insults and denials in quiet, barely intelligible German. The other people in the establishment are again ignored.
Thankfully the air raid siren is there. Her head jerks up, and she looks, blinking, from one person to the next. Sinclair is where it finally settles. When he leaves the building, the first Maiden goes to follow him, floating up and out of the place without waiting for permission or commands. Even if he shoved her away, he still resembles Psyber. It's enough in her mind.

When the siren goes off, Snake is on the move at once - he falls into step right behind Sinclair, keeping his FAMAS at the shoulder and ready. His Soliton Radar is probably jammed by this point, but the sonar should still be working, so he's relying on that to keep him posted on approaching threats. As they come out into the street, Snake falls in next to Sinclair, rifle levelled and ready for whatever threat is coming. "Take it easy, I'm Union Military. What's going on?"

Married. That had to be the biggest part of the weirdness here for Link where the diner's concerned… "Now that's a cute na- … that siren again?! Hey wait, what's happening?!" Link doesn't wait. He dashes right outo the street after the pseudo-Psyber. "All the buildings are empty, the town's covered in mist… " Link unsheathes his weapon again, now quite serious. "What's going on this town?"

Not like that comment was even remotely aimed in Suigintou's direction, but as on-edge as she is from her encounter with the false-Souseiseki, Suiseiseki wholeheartedly returns that glare, complete with one finger pointing RIGHT at the silver-haired doll menacingly from where she peeks out behind Link's leg.
The siren however… Makes her jump yet again, another little hurt look as the eerie facsimile of her twin is hauled off AND Sinclair snags a shotgun. The slightest little straining noises of the fully articulated joints of her fingers can be heard as her grip tightens on her watering can as she's quick to follow- not Suigintou of course- clearly the faux-Psyber, Snake and Link, practically beating on her radio as it pisses her off royally.
"Nnngh… Stupid town~desu… Stupid lookalikes~desu… Stupidstupidstupid- Suiseiseki just wants to go home now~desu."

"To tell ya true, sah, I dunno. I ain't nevah seen it up close before, I just know what it's called roun' these parts. All I know is when the siren goes off we get to the church, and when the radios static its near bah. Ain't no one from this town ever seen it up close and lived." Sinclair sighs, "We used to have many people round these parts. But one by one they been disappearin'. The population of this town before I sah y'all was fo'." He aims towards the fog infront of him, "Ah'll be damned if I let this bastard get mah wife 'n daughtah."

And then… it comes. It's entrance is heralded by the slow sound of metal dragging along concrete. Heavy footfalls echo up the street, audible in the cold, still town. As it approaches everything around the five standing in the street seems to darken…a new town yet again. No! Still Silent Hill… but dark.. evil. There's blood dripping off of Sinclair's diner, the streets are cracked and the town looks utterly driven into the ground.

And out of the fog… it walks. The first thing visible is that giant, triangular helmet it wears. wears. Red… crimson… made of metal and concealing whatever face it may have. Pale white flesh, white as snow, muscular. The torso comes into view next. The upper body and abs are toned and, with the helmet, it stands at just under 9 feet tall. On the lower body, it wears what looks like a butcher's smock… coated with blood both fresh and dried. Its footsteps are slow, shuffling but powerful. And then when one looks at the arms they see that those are just as muscular as the rest of his upper body. Cut.. .toned… powerful. In one hand it carries a spear as tall as itself, the tip of it looking wicked sharp and also coated in dried blood. As it appears, only five words are spoken by the diner owner with the shotgun.

The landscape changes into hell on earth. The sound echoes through the fog. And then… Pyramid head.

It takes a lot to shake the legendary Solid Snake. A lot more still to do it to the point that he lets his dismay through. Congratulations, Pyramid Head.

"What the *HELL*," Snake exclaims, dismay evident in his voice, at both the landscape and Pyramid Head. He doesn't hesitate to act, however; the FAMAS assault rifle comes up, and a three-round burst is squeezed off right at Pyramid Head's chest.

Solid Snake hit Pyramid Head with his Three Rounds Rapid strong attack! <Experimental>

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou, calmly, "Am I allowed to kill it?"

Too much time wandering the Shadow Temple's horors render Link uninclined to do more than take several long steps back when everything takes on a hellish tone… but nervous sweat rolls down his face even so. "What… what in the…" Pyramid Head's appearance shakes Link. He's seen a lot, but that's definitely one of the freakiest things he's ever layed eyes upon. "Your wife and kids will be fine! We'll hold that thing off. You get to the church too!" Link shoots Sinclair what he HOPES is a confident smile showing off plenty of determination. What it ends up being is a half-hearted one. "Don't stay here! Milly'd feel awful if something happened to you, right?"

Eyeing that lance, Link sheathes the Master Sword in favor of his bow, unleashing a Light Arrow for Pyramid Head's knee! "… why do you LIVE somewhere with something like this around..?!"

Suigintou stares at the faux-Psyber's shoulder for one long moment. She eventually jerks her gaze away, and floats up somewhere to the side of everyone else. So, something's coming… She watches and waits, once again becoming so locked on one thing as to miss the larger picture: the shifting of the town, the blood that appears. If the thing is a concern of her medium-doppelganger, then it must be hers, too!
When it finally appears through the fog, she giggles. It's short and abrupt. "It's junk," she declares. "It has to be. It has a pyramid head. That makes it junk, right?" Her voice is calmer now, oddly so. To the radio she more explicitly asks: "Am I allowed to kill it?" Odd, perhaps, that she would wait when the others attack it so quickly. Snake's answer is good enough for her.
Her carrying case falls to the ground with a clunk, and her wings grow out, fanning, and would be gleaming if not for the dull light. Knifelike feathers shoot out like a storm at the thing. "You're junk. Right?" she questions, half-laughing, in the meanwhile.

Suigintou missed Pyramid Head with her If not, I'll /make/ you junk! strong attack! (Experimental)

What… Happened… To the town…

It was NOT like that when they went in the diner. Blood leaking off walls? Cement walks cracked, the sheer opressive darkness? The building static on the radio, the SCRAAAAAPING of … SOMETHING drawing closer. There's a slight ~pop~ now as one of Suiseiseki's finger-joints dislocates from how she grips her watering can, red-green eyes almos panaickedly darting left and right- before her mismatched gaze locks upon the form of the red triangle emerging from the pitch black.
And then there's another ~pop~ as her finger sets back into place as the strain is relieved- mainly from almost dropping her watering can. The mere sight alone is enough to make her fumble as she positions herself strategically where any good terrified little girl would- behind Link, Snake, Psy- Sinclair and… Oh. Suigintou can be a shield too she supposes as the third doll catches ahold of her watering can again.

"That's not junk that's- it's… You keep it AWAY from Suiseiseki~desu!" Jade Stern croaks, making a slashing motion with the can- sprinkling… Water in an arc in front of the group.
Of course it's not harmless, as a barrier begins to form- thick, heavy vines forming in front of the others to act a shield- with just enough space to peek out of- or poke a weapon through, aim and fire.

"No, I'm going to help you all buy time. It's my duty." Sinclair responds to Link, aiming the shotgun and firing as the buckshots cracks towards the creature, "We live here because one day… it stopped coming altogether. We don't know why it came back now!"

Pop pop pop! Three shots square in the chest that burst in and cause a viscous black liquid to ooze faintly down the creature's chest, though the buckshot from Sinclair's shotgun catches the creature right in the helmet, causing the head to snap slightly, though it continues its walk towards the five people in the street, hardly breaking it's stride. The arrow of light skims by it, we'll say Link's shot was thrown off by the fog. But more frightening for Tou is that the feathers all connect, sticking out of him like black plumage, but he keeps walking. As it gets closer, they'd finally hear the breathing. Raspy… heavy… in and out… in and out. It attacks naught, for it is still out of range to spear them, but it slowly turns its helmet gaze over all of them, pyramid pivoting left and right, settling on Tou slightly longer before… the pyramid settles on Sinclair. It starts walking faster.

"Damn it!" Snake swears loudly, thinking fast. As the walking tank slowly strides his way forward, Snake opts to switch weapons. He shoves the FAMAS into… somewhere or other, and then pulls out its replacemen- oh what the fuck.

Where the hell was he keeping the Stinger Launcher?

Regardless, Snake brings the weapon up. It takes it only a moment to acquire tone, and then Snake cuts loose a single Stinger Missile aimed right at Pyramid Head.
Solid Snake missed Pyramid Head with his MISSILE UP THE EXHAUST PIPE epic attack! (Experimental)

"D-don't be stupid! Monsters like this are an everyday thing for me!" Was that a STUTTER in Link's voice? Yes indeed, for that thing barely even flinched from the shots, and his own arrow missed. "Blast, the stupid fog…" Shooting a thumbs-up at Desu for her definitely-welcome shielding, Link brings his bow up again and nocks another arrow. This time he's taking a few seconds longer to aim… but yet again Light glows up about the arrowhead when he lets it fly! It's aimed straight for the arm this time, right for the inside of an elbow…

Snake's antics aren't that unusual where Link's concerned… he does that allt the time after all! "… now THAT's firepower!"

Link missed Pyramid Head with his Let's try that again! strong attack! (Experimental)

Suigintou's eyes widen again (how many times does that make?) as the feathers strike with no effect. That wasn't supposed to happen! Shakily, she argues at the thing, "You're- You're supposed to… You're junk!!" Though when it 'looks' at her, a very clear shudder runs through her. Not a bloody city, but being looked at by a thing without visible eyes: that's what gets to her.
Suiseiseki's actions snap her out of it briefly. As the vines sprout up, the first doll whips around to fix the third with another death glare. "Don't you DARE protect me!" So indignant.
But Pyramid Head gains it back quick enough. Or, more specifically, the fact that it's heading towards Sinclair. Suigintou - in spite of being shoved away earlier - quickly floats up in front of him. Her wings reshape into dragon heads at the end, while she glares even /more/ death at the thing than she did at Suiseiseki. The accusations of junk-ness resume, louder and more desperate. So too does she fire another volley of feathers. So what if they didn't work?

Suigintou hit Pyramid Head with her I said you're junk. Now stop moving and be junk-like! >:| strong attack! <Experimental>

Bullets, feathers, arrows- clearly if those aren't enough to stop the triangular-helmeted monstrosity, Suiseiseki's probably not going to have any better luck. Heterochromatic gaze frozen on the … THING as it just keeps coming. Suigintou goes mostly unheard, the Third Doll's mounting terror causing her to singlemindedly focus on the metallic helmet and the boodstained tip of that spear.
It's now, that she floats up, over her barrier, a harsh snap of "SHUT UP~DESU!" Finally snapped down at Mercury Lampe, whilst getting out from behind Snake and his Stinger, as she aims again- water sprinkling forth at the approaching feind's legs, vines sprouting rapidly- attempting to wrap his legs and bind him in place with trainspike-sized thorns.

Suiseiseki missed Pyramid Head with her You don't come any closer than that~yes? stun attack! (Experimental)

Snake swears loudly, get again, watching Pyramid Head go, and then turns to the group. "…everyone, fall back to the diner," he orders simply; his words are short, as though he's not too keen to say much at the moment. And then, quietly he moves over to 'Tou, a bit of genuine worry on his face. "Suigintou. Come on. We've got to get to the-" That's when Suiseiseki points out that the church is probably a better place to go. Man, even Snake is shaken. "…to the church," he ends up finishing. If Suigintou doesn't smack his hand away or the like, he reaches out to gently rest it on the doll's shoulder. "Come on. We've gotta go," he urges gently.

<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "What was that just now?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Dorothy Wayneright says, "What was what?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "The errant signal! It sounded like one of the missing Rozens."

Suigintou stands her ground, though her shouts of 'junk' die off as Pyramid head draws closer. Her dragon head wings manage a feeble growl. So much for trying to be intimidating. So much for trying to be a shield, too. That terrified screech is the result of the spear passing through her stomach region, though oddly, there's no sign of physical pain, nor any sound that a spear on porcelain should conceivably have. It's only once the weapon's been pulled out the other side that she moves; she whips around to watch as Sinclair is lifted … and then as the gestured death threat is made. Again she shudders. And stares.
Now it's Snake's turn to distract her. She does indeed smack his hand away, and hard, following up with another angry glare. But his command is headed. She floats back to her fallen case, settles into it, then raises with it back into the earlier formation - all without looking away from the man, much less looking at him any more kindly.

"…!!" Stymied by this display, Link falls back severl big steps when Pyramid Head comes charging in, bringing his blade to bear the instant it hoists the spear! Yelling at the top of his lungs he LEAPS for the thing, bu it's simply got too much of an advantage in surprise. "Sinclair! Suigintou!" He ws still writhing, but would Sinclair be able to get away… Link punches the ground in frustration, the Golden Gauntlets strength powering the blow. Spiderwebs of cracks spread from the impact, but that's all… "Dammit, I told him to leave it to us… Suigintou, are you alright…?!" Worried for Sinclair LInk might be, but Tou's the one they can get to here! "Yeah, let's head to the Church." The confidence is gone from Link's voice entirely… "Quickly! That thing might go after Milly and the others!"

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…hang on to that anger, Suigintou. I know that sounds funny coming from me right now, but hang onto it. It'll get you through this. Despair won't."

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou sounds disgusted, "You pity me, don't you?"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "No."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "I sympathize."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "And I want to get you, me, and all of us through this. Because we're all here together."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "Go- … Sy- sympathize?! I don't need sympathy!"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake, after a moment of silence, and in a quiet tone. "…now's not the time for a tough act. From any of us. We're not going to get through this if we keep arguing." Pause. "If anyone asks later, we can say we almost tore each others' heads off, if you like."

<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Oh, yeah, so I had an excuse to spend a few days here I sock the Sheriff and let him arrest me."
<X-Union-Chatter> Dr. Derek Stiles says, "… A bit overboard don't you think?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Nah."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Read the report."
<X-Union-Chatter> X | Alia says, "Hang on, another signal just fuzzed in and out. ARTHUR, did you catch it?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "I heard that one too."
<X-Union-Chatter> ARTHUR says, "Affirmative, playing back now."
<X-Union-Chatter> ARTHUR repeats the newest signal: <Comm Signals> Link's the next one audible through heavy static. "Dammit- " *ksssshhhhhtbzzzzkt* "leave-" *staticflood* "Suigintou-" signal drops, picks up to, "okay? Let's-" *bsssshhhhhtfzzzzztch* "-church. Pyramid Head-" *fades to complete static*
<X-Union-Chatter> Dorothy Wayneright says, "Church mentioned again. And pyramid head? Wouldn't that be a temple?"
<X-Union-Chatter> X | Alia says, "The head of a pyramid? But it sounds like they're in a church…?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Dorothy Wayneright says, "Did you get a frequency range, ARTHUR?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Amelia says, "…I am getting a /really/ bad feeling."
<X-Union-Chatter> Dr. Derek Stiles says, "Actually, looking at it from another angle… It sounds like.. They are on the run."
<X-Union-Chatter> ARTHUR says, "Negative. I am unable to triangulate any possible signal origins."
<X-Union-Chatter> Amelia says, "Felt like the hairs on the back of my neck just stood up."
<X-Union-Chatter> Dr. Derek Stiles says, "Almost like they are trying to get to the church maybe?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Dorothy Wayneright says, "Was hoping for EM range. If we can figure out the spread of frequency, we might be able to boost reception."
<X-Union-Chatter> Optimus Prime transform-sound. "I'm heading out there. Blaster, Perceptor, with me."

He… He ran through the explosion… He… He ran through her VINES… Unable to do anything except watch as the monster skewers her elder sister- and then catch- "PSYB-" She can't help but call out, even if Sinclair isn't the man she knows, his familiar appearance is enough to make the doll wince from the sight. And she halts, mismatched eyes watching that throat-slitting motion, even though it's aimed at Suigintou, she bites upon her lower lip.
"Th- the church-" She mumbles into radio- as the diner is currently painted with blood and looking nonetoopleasant a place to go- the whole damn town is nonetopleasant a place to be, really as she plops into her own floating case and follows CLOSE behind Link- the occasional glance aimed at the first doll. … Why did the spear just… Pass through her the way it did?

You guys have a bit of walking to do! The lights of the church are clearly visible up top of the hill in the direction Milly, Jack and Lapis all went up. The town is eerily silent, that fog that covers up what just happened once more having settled in. The only thing left to isgnify the battle are the scars in their hearts, the vines in the street and a few spatters of Sinclair's blood. Sorry about the short pose :P

There's a few holes in Suigintou's dress, too! Two of them. But that's it. And, once in her case, she's very careful about keeping them blocked from sight. Her back is to the back of her case, and her arms are folded across her midsection in front. Suiseiseki and Link also get sharp looks. To the latter, she snaps, "I'm perfectly fine!"
So, to the church! She doesn't follow as closely as her sister does, but at least she follows at all.
Snake straightens up slowly, but seems relatively un-insulted by the handsmack. Now that things are… well, sort of cleared up, maybe, if you look at them real funny, he makes a brief gesture that could maybe possibly be interpreted as 'let's go'. And he himself turns toward the church, and begins the slow, steady walk. Strangely enough, his guard doesn't seem to be all that 'up' for the moment.

Link starts walking, and doesn't intend on stopping! With Tou saying she's okay, and everyone else intact, he's eager to get to the Church and make sure the others got there… "… Maybe one of my songs will get us out of here! But first I gotta make sure those others are okay… we can't leave them out there with that thing wandering around…" You thought it was odd for Snake to be shaken? Well, Link is too. Not good.

Perfectly fine Suiseiseki's ass… Suigintou took that spear DEAD ON. How is she not minus a Rosa Mystica? It's a disturbing question as she snaps her head to look away with a huff at the first doll's shout- but attempts to be as discreet as she can about watching her sister from the corner of one eye.
There's no questioning anymore. She just follows Snake and Link for the church in abject silence.

<Union-IC> Nayru says, "Earlier, I had a vision of a crimson pyramid…far off on the horizon, and covered in thick fog. Could that transmission have something to do with it…?"
<Union-IC> Optimus Prime says, "At the minute, any number of things could have something to do with it. I'll keep it in mind, though, and I'll be searching for any pattern."

Soon the church comes into view, and standing in the doorway is Milly, a worried look on her face and a candle in her hand as she stares down the road. As she sees the elites coming up, she practically sprints out towards them, "my husband! Where is he?!" She asks, a terrified look on her face as the candle clatters to the ground and snuffs out, the woman's blue eyes wide with both fright and worry. Meanwhile, in the shadows of the doorway, one can see Jack tucking Lapis into a makeshift bed on one of the church pews.

Snake's face grows… slightly sad. This is always the hardest part of a commander's duty, even when the deceased isn't one of his soldiers. He takes a step forward and gently rests a hand on Milly's shoulder… and then faintly shakes his head. "I'm sorry. He was protecting you all to the end," he murmurs, low enough so that only Milly will hear. Given how he expects her to react, though, it's probably moot…

Suigintou isn't offering any explanations on things. She just keeps going, soon sinking from poorly-based anger at the others to quiet thought. She does look up at Milly once they reach the church, but she's not about to give answers here, either. Especially not when it drives the past event more firmly into her mind. It triggers a little more mumbling, which is of course in more old German.
"<…not my fault… It's not. I'm /not/ junk. I didn't let him get killed.>"

(Suigintou heard):Voice in your head(pemit): It /is/ your fault! You're not even worthy! First you leave him to chase a pipedream! Then you can't even protect him once you find him again! You may be the worst doll ever.

<X-Union-Chatter> Shinku says, "Your's as well Souseiseki. Its been some time, hasn't it? And Psyber as well, good evening. How are you and how fares my eldest sister? I hope that she is well."
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki transmits an ominous silence…
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki says, "I….I should radio you in private. If that's all right with you."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Oh yeah, she's fine and dandy."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Sitting at home eating a cookie, I believe."
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki says, "I….I should radio you in private. If that's all right with you."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Oh yeah, she's fine and dandy."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Sitting at home eating a cookie, I believe."
<X-Union-Chatter> Shinku says, "I see, well thats good then… and yes, that would be fine with me Souseiseki."

Fingers balling up into little fists as Suiseiseki sits on her knees in her case, slowing down quite a bit as they arrive at the church and encounter Milly. Her eyes dart to the Big Boss and Souseiseki doppelgangers in the church. They seem safe enough. But her attention is /easily/ brought back to the topic at hand- Link's almost crying, even Snake looks like he's struggling- and Suigintou's just looks like she lost it. She grips her dress, shuffling uncomfortably, a few little sniffles are all she issues. That's it. No more.

Between Souseiseki and Shinku

RADIO: You radio Shinku with '….Suiseiseki…she….she went missing.'
RADIO: Shinku radios: What? Are you certain?
RADIO: You radio Shinku with 'Yes….they were talking about it on the Union frequency.'
RADIO: You radio Shinku with 'Even Suigintou is missing.'
RADIO: Shinku radios: I… I've been out of touch with the news here lately… in fact I should probably talk to you about that soon in person. But this is news to me, and what are you talking about? Psyber just said she was fine, and if this is the case then what are people doing about it?
RADIO: Shinku radios: What?! Souseiseki, this is unacceptable! If our sisters are missing then it is our obligation to find them and bring them home! There must be something we can do, what do you know of how it happened?
RADIO: You radio Shinku with 'I…I….'

<X-Union-Chatter> Shinku says, "Psyber, are you still there?"

RADIO: You radio Shinku with 'I'm sorry, Shinku, this is just too much for me to handle right now. You will need to ask the higher-ranked officers…'
RADIO: You radio Shinku with 'Souseiseki sounds disturbingly conflicted. "I…I have been with my medium since last night. Suiseiseki's disappearance suddenly happened, and I want to find her, she means everything to me, but I cannot leave Millia's side…."'
RADIO: Shinku radios: I see, I understand then. If Psyber is just as lost as we are then maybe all that can be done is being done at the moment. I dont think I'll be able to rest untill they are back however. I apologise for getting upset like that… I just dont want to lose anyone precious to me anymore.
RADIO: You radio Shinku with 'Yes…I know. Suiseiseki is precious to me and I promised her that we would never be apart again.'

<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber transmits the sound of a tennis ball hitting a concrete wall, "Not going anywhere for a while, I reckon."
<X-Union-Chatter> Shinku says, "I see, so just what was it you said Suigintou was doing right now?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Oh Tou? She's at my office and is most certainly not vanished without a trace to God knows where and I have no idea how to reach her."
<X-Union-Chatter> Shinku says, "So it is true then…"
<X-Union-Chatter> Benjamin Sisko conversationally, "Taking it with your usual good grace I see, Sinclair."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Always, Sisko. Always. Though I suppose I shouldn't miss her too much, right? After all, she was nice enough to at least tell me goodbye before she vanished to do whatever."
<X-Union-Chatter> Benjamin Sisko says, "You know when we get her back, you're going to have to give her quite the lesson on that, Sinclair. Quite the lesson indeed, and one I will look forward to seeing you give, such as it were."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "As soon as we get her back, I'm leaving this redneck jail cell."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "If this place got any more backwater I'd see the Dukes of Hazzard."
<X-Union-Chatter> Shinku says, "I know what the bond between a medium and a doll means, and I know what you must be going through Psyber… I myself now have questions I desperatly want answered… so… if you know anything about what happened that you can tell me, please… please tell me. Two of my sisters are now missing… if anything were to happen…"
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki says, "We can only pray that they return safely…"
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki says, "It has always been our fate that we find each other, no matter which era we wake up in."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "What I know is this."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Both Suigintou and Suiseiseki were acting odd since about a week ago, when they both acted weird simultaneously. Tou began acting off her rocker, and I scolded her for it. When I did, she ran away from home. This was 3 days ago. I had not had contact with her since, until today when she radio'd me with 'Goodbye' and then turned off her radio. After that, she and the other two Unionites vanished."
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki says, "I sent Renpika after Suiseiseki's case, but it was sealed shut."
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki sighs. "Excuse me, I am retiring to sleep."
<X-Union-Chatter> Shinku 's voice wavers a bit, "… this is ridiculous. They shall be scolded harshly once they return. Such behavior is unacceptable…"
<X-Union-Chatter> Souseiseki musters a dry chuckle. "Ja.."

When Snake says it… and then Link reaffirms it, her face locks up and her eyes narrow, "Please don't tell my daughter how it happened." She says in an eerily calm tone, turning to head back to the church as she adjusts her apron, "Tomorrow we'll go back to the diner. She doesn't need to find out about this yet." The woman says calmly, "You guys can sleep in the church tonight. It should be safe."

"… No…" The word comes out as a poorly held back sob, not directed at anyone in the immediate area. Suigintou's wings curl around her. They're more to block onlookers than for anything else, and they're wrapped closely enough around her that her carrying case can still close. … Which it promptly does. A click follows, presumably from the lock. The closed case floats into the church, somehow avoiding hitting anyone, then sets down in some out-of-the-way corner.

Pressing his lips tightly together, Link nods once at Milly. What could he possibly say to comfort either of them…? He plops down on a pew with his shoulders sagging and head held up in his palms. "Not again…"

"…I'll take first watch," Snake says after a long, long moment. "The rest of you get some rest. I know that sounds like a tall order, but we don't know when we'll be able to get some sleep again. I'll be alright for at least another four hours, so take it while you can."

If Snake is going to take the first night watch then Suiseiseki can just float on into the church. "Nff… Snake~desu- … Err… Uhm… Feel free to wake Suiseiseki up for next watch when you need sleep~yes?" Not like she's going to get much anyway.
"J-ja~desu! If anything comes, Suiseiseki'll scream real loud- so… Nnh…" Well at least she's trying to be helpful… Right? But with that, her case closes and clicks locked as well, settling in under the pew Lapis was tucked into.

Even in a church I can't get any rest. Nightmare after nightmare. Being rejected and insulted and blamed. Seeing them - all of them - standing over me, pointing out every single flaw that's ever haunted me.

"Father… You still love me, right…? You don't hate me, do you, Psyber?"

Being forced to see things all over again. The spear… Him being lifted on it… Being forced to stab him, murder him myself. Unable to stop. Covered in blood.

"It'snotmyfaultIdidn'tdoitIdidn'tkillhimnotmyfaultnotmyfault…"

Being killed. Stabbed, broken, smashed to pieces. Seeing my own Rosa Mystica rise out of me. Or worse, never seeing a Rosa Mystica among my debris at all.

Milly's gone. I'm not sure when or how she disappeared, but I can't find her anywhere in the church. I hope she didn't run off to do something stupid. Right now I can't go out and rescue her.

I've got my own people to look after.

I'm worried about Suigintou. It's been about two hours, and I can still hear her muttering in the case. I think she's dozed off, and that's what worries me. This place is getting to all of us, but she's really taking it hard. I've gotta figure something out to make sure she gets the hell through this.

I've gotta figure out something to make sure *I* get through this. What the hell *was* that thing, anyway?

Scratch that. What the hell is this *place*? I'm standing here looking at a man who could be the spitting image of Big Boss. Hell, the spitting image of *me*. That only makes it worse. And that guy who looked like Psyber… no. Can't think about that. Not gonna help anything. Focus on my patrol. Maybe I can figure out where Milly went to.

I hope to God we can find a way out of this hellhole soon. Before it decides to try and break me down next.

Nightmares… it's impossible to get real rest 'cause of all of them. Again and again the scene plays in my mind. That monstrous creature turning Sinclair into a shiskhabob and carting him off, writhing and screaming on the spear like some macabre prize, except sometimes it's not HIM caught on the spear.

Did I really just let that happen? No! But no matter how many times I try to think of a way that could have been prevented… I come up emptyhanded.

It doesn't help that Milly's gone. Malon and Cremia lookalike or not, if she went out on her own… I shouldn't have gone to sleep at all!

What if that nightmare comes again and it's Zelda or Ilia on the spear getting carted off?!

Screw this place! I'm leaving once I find out for us, and Milly and the others are safe. Not even the Church feels safe… and here I am, the Hero of Time… hiding in a Church. Some hero I am right now… first Zelda, now poor Milly… and I couldn't do a thing.

Time to get up. Or, more accurately, Suigintou's gotten about all the rest (if you can call it that) she can under the circumstances, and more than enough nightmares to go with it. She doesn't make it evident immediately. There's some shuffling sounds inside her case, but that could be mistaken for tossing and turning easily enough. In reality, she's checking that her limbs are all still intact, that she isn't bloody, or anything like that. Eventually, a click sounds, and her case creaks open.
The doll sits up with a shaky breath. One moment is simply spent gauging her surroundings - what's going on, where people are, that nothing is present that shouldn't be. Snake gets a long, hard look from her, but it's hardly the glare from last night. Finally she stands, straightens her dress a bit, and gets out of the case itself.
Snake, for the record, is sitting against the nearby wall; knees slightly bent, FAMAS resting in his lap. It's pretty obvious to anyone looking that he fell asleep watching over 'Tou's case.

It's probably been loooooong enough since Suiseiseki's watch was over, but even afterwards the Third Maiden had touble of her own sleeping. Not nightmares per se, but just an inability to curl up and rest. Seated upon her edge of her case, knees together, fingers clenching upon the velvet of her dress, no doubt mulling over- replaying everything up to this point in her mind. Sinclair's terrifying resemblance to Psyber and that THING dragging him off into the darkness- Lapis' own appearance matching that of her twin. It admittedly hurt. Someone who looked soooo familiar and yet had no knowledge or recollection of the green-clad doll.
Even if it's a trick of the Multiverse- another alternate version or not, it still hurt.
If anything snaps her out of her thoughts, it's that click. Head snapping up, eyes focusing on the other case as it begins to open, for just a split second Jade Stern panics. At least before she presses up against the leg of the church pew, out of sight save for the one emerald eye peeking out as it dawns on her yet again. The spear. How did it just pass /right through/ Suigintou? For the moment, curiosity overtakes her intense 'dislike' of the first doll, as well as her own reflections on the whole situation.

As the first Rozen Maiden isn't actively hiding the holes, Suiseiseki might just get the chance to see now. There's no blood - but that could be expected, when she's a doll and everything. Nor is there anything to suggest broken porcelain. No tinkling of pieces knocking against each other, nothing like that. No debris in her case, nothing stuck to her dress. Nothing at all. Suigintou turns to close it now - no signs out the back hole, either.
What's odd is that no porcelain is visible at /all/ through the holes. Just shadow.
But now would make a good chance to actually look through the church, wouldn't it? Instead of floating, she simply walks, gazing upon it all with seeming indifference. It beats simply sitting there and dwelling.

Just… Shadow? That's it? With all the insane things that have been going on in this town only after one day, it's getting a tad tough to know when to beleve one's eyes and when not to. And after a sleepless night that makes it all the harder. The lack of porcelain though is enough to make Desu squint. An attempt to see better, yes, not that it really helps any, but the distinct lack of 'broken doll' sounds after getting impaled by a spear are seriously starting to unnerve her.
A closer look is necessary… But Suiseiseki is as about as sneaky as a trainwreck. Rylia can attest to this. Regardless of such things, the third maiden attempts to stick to the shadows of the church- as though stalking the first maiden. With her heels though… The incessant click click click might give her away… Which is exactly why she tries to keep walking in time footstep for footstep with the silver-haired doll.

Sneaky as a trainwreck, huh? Even if Suiseiseki were more skilled at these things, Suigintou might have noticed her anyway. She's nervous. Anxious, really. All those dreams - all that stuff last night - the voices - they all add up. Since the first doll is trying to keep her mind away from her worries, that only leaves focusing on the environment around her, like the church architecture… or the extra footsteps clicking along with her own.
A startled shudder runs through her, making her wings fluff up like a cat's fur, before she whips around to face the younger doll. The glare's back, both from irritation and a desire (still there somehow) to make herself seem tougher than she is. "I do not need /you/ following me," she snaps out.

Click… Click… Click… Click… Oyashiro~Desu is stalking… Or at least she was anyway. If you can consider a flamboyantly awesome green dress as the perfect sneaking outfit, why she could even beat Snake! But it's not. Because it sort of stands out a bit much. The opposite of what sneaking entails.
It's as those black feathers ruffle, and the silver-haired doll turns to face her, that Suiseiseki is JUST as fast in turning her back to face her elder sister, arms folding over her chest defiantly. "H-hmph! Suiseiseki? Follow /YOU/? What the hell is Suigintou thinking~desu?!" She quips in reply. Despite the fact she… Was totally and obviously following her. A furtive little glance given every now and then over her shoulder- to you know. Make sure Suigintou doesn't suddenly attack. AND to try and get a better look at her midsection.

Suigintou's eyes narrow further, and her carved lips pull into an annoyed grimace. "What am /I/ thinking? You shoulder answer that yourself! What place does a-" Suddenly she stops. Her eyes widen again, much as they were prone to doing last night, then steadily go back to normal. It's not a glare, but it's still irritated… Just more… subdued. She shakes her head, more to herself than at Suiseiseki. Quiet but harsh, she hisses out, "Go bother that fake twin of yours."
She's not going to stand around anymore. She lifts up from the ground, turns pointedly away from her sister, and floats over to perch on a windowsill.
Not much more is showing for the hole mystery, either. It's still just shadow… No signs of breakage, or really, anything at all behind them.

Yeah, that's right! What is Suigintou thinking! Suiseiseki would neeeever follow her! Not even to try and pry into the personal life of the sister she hates sooooo much. Finally, as the first maiden turns away, Suiseiseki relaxes. Because- she hasn't been turned into a black fluffy pincushion.
"She's still asleep~desu." Jade Stern grumps. Wether it's true or not, it's the best excuse she can come up with. With her cover blown, attempting any further sneakage would be pointless- and possibly incite a violent assault. As much as she doesn't like Suigintou, and as childish as Suiseiseki can be, even she can tell when someone is /seriously/ disturbed. … Cause Snake didn't sleep outside her case. The town was wearing on everyone but from the looks of it even Desu could tell, Mercury Lampe was taking it the hardest. After seeing Sinclaire get dragged off into the darkness and all.
"… Psyber… Psyber's fine~desu. Suiseiseki is sure of it~yes. So that guy looked like him- so what~desu. Suiseiseki- Suiseiseki is totally sure he'll be there and fine when Suigintou gets back~desu." She tries to keep the conversation from just dying, even with 'Tou up on a window much higher. It had to be a trick of the multiverse, just like her faux twin, if anyone can have doubles and alternates and evil twins, what's to say there are chances of actually coming across those people sometime? But even Desu sounds a little shakey on that matter.

Of all the people she doesn't want to show her weakness to, it just has to be Suiseiseki who's awake and talking to her, doesn't it? Suigintou looks with reluctance back to the younger doll. When her eyes do hit and lock onto her, though, they are filled with resentment. Too many unpleasant things are being brought up, but like hell she's going to say it. The dreams were unpleasant enough when she was the only one going through them.
"What does it matter to you?" she asks. Among everything, there's still bound to be curiosity at her sister trying to comfort her. "He's not your medium. How happy for you, that you would never have to see /your/ precious medium stabbed and lifted and hauled away, isn't it? Ha!" Her head turns away, pink-purple eyes shifting to some unknown target, though she keeps talking. "I said it last night. Don't pity me. I don't want it, much less from /you/."
It does help that she's encountered "duplicate" versions of others before. Like, Ailiar for Rylia. Or the fact that there was another Suigintou here before her.

Ailiar, Rylia, that Elrylas fellow was another one! But multiples of the same person aside, red-green eyes meet lilac with maybe the same glowering, grudging, bitterness as that of the elder doll. As though perhaps Suiseiseki doesn't really want to talk to her- but there's no one else present to actually vent at.
"Hmph! Oh, Suiseiseki doesn't know- maybe Psyber is her FRIEND too~desu. Maybe Suigintou isn't the only one who saw what Suiseiseki, Snake and funnygreenhat Elf Link saw~desu!" She snaps! "Maybe he doesn't /have/ to be Suiseiseki's medium, you know~desu!"
It's fairly obvious now her previous rambling about Psyber bieng fine wasn't just for the first doll- but definitely for herself as well- trying to keep up some modicum of sanity and hope after the previous night's events.
But then… Pity? For a moment, the younger doll's brow gives a twitch. Irritation- anger, whathaveyou, her fingers ball into tiny fists. "Pity? Hmph! Suiseiseki knows Suigintou doesn't want pity~desu- she's only yelled it how many times~desu? Besides- don't you DARE think for a moment Suiseiseki would pity /Suigintou/ of all people." Yeah. There's no love lost between these two, is there.

Suigintou's gaze snaps back to Suiseiseki, once again set into an angry glare. Her teeth grit together. Her hands clutch tighter at the windowsill she's perched on, almost digging into the wood. "Shut up! You still have /your/ fake here, don't you? That human twin of yours? She's not dead, is she? You didn't have to protect her! You didn't have- didn't get-" Unwilling to say it plainly, she only makes a frustrated growl. Her actions point it out clearly enough, anyway. One hand releases its grip on the sill, raising up and across to grab her side, leaving her forearm to cover the hole in her dress.
She changes subjects, though the look in her eyes shows she's still bothered by the previous one. "What are you talking to me for, anyway? Aren't you supposed to hate me for what I've done? Murderer, sister-killer, whatever it is you call me! Go bother someone else. Maybe I'll even leave that fake alive for you."

Link's voice sounds off from a pew near the two dolls, grumpy, tired, and not at all enthusiastic. "You two, would you please cut that out!? In this kind of place we have to stick together or things will just get worse. We… did what we could…" He's heard heaving a sigh, then murmuring, "Poor Milly… where did she go? What was she thinking…?!"

Link sits upright from his makeshift resting spot on a pew, visible for anyone looking about now. He looks absolutely miserable. Even his pointy ears seem kind of flattened… or maybe that's just the angle he's being viewed from.

There's a loud yawn from the front of the church as a very sleeping looking girl sits up and looks around, "Huh? Why'm I in the church?" She looks around curiously, still clad in her sundress from the day prior, "Where're momma and poppa?" She asks in a confused manner, looking around the church, "Uncle Jack is missing too.."

It's now, the third doll looks away. Head turning as though finding something much more interesting to glower at on the floor, lips pursing grimly. It's true she didn't have to see Lapis get killed, like Suigintou did for the Psyber-look-alike. But. There's something else. "Ja. She's still alive~desu. But. It's not /her/." There's a long. Almost tense moment of silence. "She didn't recognize Suiseiseki at ALL~desu. … And that- that hurt just as bad."
"It's like. Every era~desu. Every time we wake up we're destined to find each other. It's been that way since father made us~desu- and to have her not remember- to not remember /me/ it's almost the same as though she were dead~desu."
And then her gaze snaps back up to the first doll. "Hmph… Ja. Ja~desu. Suiseiseki does hate you~desu. But both Suiseiseki and Suigintou are here~desu. Suiseiseki got a letter- from father about becoming Alice- but now she's reminded of why she doesn't want to be Alice anymore- if it's gonna cost her the people she cares for."
Her attention shifts though. Link's awake. And thrusting himself into their little sisterly moment at that. And then Lapis awakens as well.

Milly AND the Sheriff gone?

Suiseiseki falls silent… And says no more. Quietly returning to her case and flipping it closed. But there's no lock click.

Suigintou just keeps on glaring. How convenient for Suiseiseki to phrase it the way she does. It's not just Lapis that didn't recognize the third doll; Sinclair didn't recognize the first, either! She even got shoved away. But… Pointing that out means admitting it, and showing her weakness more than she already has. She doesn't intend to do anything like that if she can help it.
Her mouth does open once Suiseiseki confirms their less than amiable relationship, but nothing comes out. Speaking of the letter… More specifically, what thoughts it has brought up… That strikes her. Her mouth closes, and she looks silently, calmly away.
There are others awake now, anyway. Link gets a glance, slightly irritated, but it's Lapis who finally takes the bulk of her attention. "They're not here," she answers. Simple and not as harsh as she could be.

"We're going to have to go out and look for them," comes Snake's voice - from the side of the church *opposite* where Tou's case is sitting. "Them just disappearing like this…" He glances briefly at Lapis. "Well, we'll have to go and find them." After that, he taps the side of his head behind his ear, indicating his CODEC - and the need for private conversation where Lapis can't hear.

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "I'm not sure I want to bring the girl out with us, but we might not have a choice."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Is this place really safe or not?"

Suigintou finally slips off her windowsill and flies back over to her case. Snake gets a glance as she passes - just when did he move over there? - but it lacks the ire she showed earlier. She doesn't get back in the case in itself, but rather takes a seat on top of it. Quiet for now.

Lapis yawns again and sits cross-legged on the pew, looking a bit shocked, "Daddy got taken away?" She asks in a worried tone, "Do you know where he went?" She rocks backwards, "Maybe he's at the diner with mommy right now…" She taps her lips thoughtfully, "It does seem pretty late in the day.. I bet they're open by now!" She then rocks back a few more times, "Uncle Jack probably went to the general stores to get supplies. It's a Tuesday after all. Daddy restocks the kitchen about now!"

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "No, not on my watch. Milly disappeared some time during my watch, but I can't figure out how or where."
<8-Supplemental> Link's clearly disheartened. "I shouldn't have gone to sleep."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Now don't start kicking yourself."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake sighs. "We're gonna have to take the girl with us to the diner. Suigintou, Suiseiseki, I'd like you two to be the ones that keep an eye on her and walk with her. Link, you and me will be the ones leading the way."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "/What/? You expect me to go with /her/?"
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki slightly muffled. "… Fine~desu."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Dammit… Right." He's heard taking a breath.. "You two, we have to stick together."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Suigintou. Now's not the time. I'm putting me and Link up front because we're the biggest targets. I'm putting you two with the girl because she's your size and she could use a friendly face or two about now."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "… Uhuhu. How trusting you are."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "I don't really have a choice right now. None of us do."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "It's like I said before: My goal is to get all of us out of this, alive. And I'll do whatever I have to."

"Alright," Snake replies, walking over to Lapis, and kneeling down in front of the girl with a vaguely fatherly smile on his face. "Tell you what. We're gonna go head down to the diner and look for your mom and dad, alright? They're probably there right now. I'd like for you to come with us if you want." He glances up at Suigintou and Suiseiseki briefly.

If there's one thing LInk wasn't ready to do it was try to explain or console a little girl, especially since it was all due to his failure… "Er… yeah, maybe he is. We should head back there and find out!" The instant he turns his face from Lapis, Link frowns mightily. This really, really stunk. Clinks and clanks sound out as he straps on his equipment and heads for the Church. "Come on, we're going to go check on them!" The Hylian looks over towards Suiseiki and her case. "If anything happens, I'll-" he pauses for but an instant. "…I'll do my best to protect you two."

"Oh! Okay! Uh… Yeah, I can come too I gue-"

And that's when it happens again. An air raid siren goes off, echoing across the town as the sky and even the fog grow a darker shade. The streets begin to rust… and become soaked with blood… crumbling. The buildings around the church grow dark and become covered with blood themself. Even the outside of the church starts to grow dark, the stairs leading up to it crumbling. Though amazingly, the inside remains almost entirely untouched for the time being. Almost immediately as the siren goes off, the girl seats herself firmly on a pew, "Mommy and daddy told me never to leave the church when the siren goes off until they say so. I'm staying here." Her voice has a hint of fear in it, as though she doesn't want to be alone, but she has to stay in the church. When she speaks next, her tone is frail, "You guys'll… go get momma and poppa and uncle Jack, right?"

Around this time, something comes through on the radio.

So your options are:
A)Stay in the church.
B)GO find Jack
C)GO to the diner to find Milly
D)Go to the hospital
E)Other

<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | A voice coughs, "C-can anyone.. read me?"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "We read you. What's going on?"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | A voice coughs, "This is… Sinclair. I woke up… hospital…"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Sinclair coughs a few times, "Shoulder bleeding badly… patched it up for now.."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "What the hell happened?"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "… Y-you're alive…"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Sinclair coughs again, "I.. don't know. I remember being dragged into the fog.. then I just woke up here on a bed.."
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Sinclair continues, 'Staggered my way to an office…used the emergency radio in hospital."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake swears softly. "…Jack will have to fend for himself. Sinclair, where's the hospital? We're coming to get you."
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Sinclair says, "Follow road left out of church… I heard the siren.. It's not safe here.."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou giggles quietly, not directly into the radio, and not quite sanely.
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "I don't care if it's not safe there… we're getting you somewhere that IS safe. Do you know where Milly went?!"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Sinclair hacks, "I.. dun… diner maybe?"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Sinclair transmits the sound of a door being pounded on and ghastly moans.
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "You're our top priority right now. I'm sorry, Link, but he's wounded and we know exactly where he is. Finding Milly will have to wait."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou audibly shudders.
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "I'm going to find Ps- Sinclair. I don't care what you others do."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "*We're* going to find Sinclair. Remember ground rule number one? We stick together."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "I'm not arguing!"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Jack clicks in, "This is Sheriff Johson. I'll meet you at the hospital."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "-Jack. Good to hear your voice."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Jack! Have you seen Milly?"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Jack transmits the sound of a gun cocking, "I went to the office. Figured a pistol might not handle this. And yah, I ran into her in town.. seemed real distraught. Said something about… the diner would need cleaning.."
Snake gives the girl a soft nod. "We'll find them and bring them back," he replies, moving to stand up. He checks his assault rifle over once, and then nods to the others, headed straight for the door.
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake sighs. "I hate to write her off, but right now we gotta get to Sinclair. We get him back to the church, then we can go look for her."

And so the siren goes off once more. Suiseiseki was about to emerge from her case when it went off, yet the sound makes her slam it shut once more. At least for a moment. Finally though she peeks out- and then slowly climbs free from the doll case, fingers sheepishly smoothing out her dress.
Lapis is given a sidelong glance, though the doll says nothing. The change to the town yet again is eerie, but a deep breath and Suiseiseki steeles herself as best she can. If the girl is going to stay in the church- and it's 'supposedly' safe then she should be fine, right? Suigintou is also given a little glance from the corner of her eyes, but no attempt to even interact with he sister. As though earlier was enough for her. And with that she floats up, taking place behind Snake.

Suigintou's mind immediately drops away from all else once she hears Sinclair's voice on the radio. A smile spreads across her face, and her eyes take on a strange gleam. The quiet giggle she lets out might be a little worrying. She is undeniably relieved, no matter how crazy she might sound. But… There's still worry, and a need to protect him further. For that reason, she readily rises up into the air, and over towards the door. Very quiet muttering might be heard from her, along the lines of "He's alive", repeatedly.

Link starts backtracking again, then grips the Master Sword's hilt. "…Yeah. I… think it might really be safe here." Lapis gets a friendly nod from Link. "Don't worry… I just got a message from your dad and Jack! Your parents are both out there. We're going to get them back!"

He peeks out the window… making a face at the town getting even gorier and LESS welcoming. Promptly he steps right outside and unsheathes his sword.
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Is there anything we can leave Lapis to protect her? … I think the Church might really be safe."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "I think you're right."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "It's not bleeding in here."

<Comm Signals> Solid Snake, faintly and amid a great deal of static, can be heard saying, "It's not bleeding in here." Whatever else is said is lost to static as the signal dies again.

<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "…"
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "What the hell type of a vaction is he on?"
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "His vacation sounds enjoyable!"
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "… Not bleeding in -here-?"
<Union-IC> Yutaro says, "….."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "where would he be where it not bleeding would be abnormal?"
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "Maybe he's at a themed park."
<Union-IC> Gold says, "A blood pit?"
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "Horror McFunland's Scary Park."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "do you really think it's something simple like that?"
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "Sometimes a cigar is a cigar."
<Union-IC> Minerva lets out a sharp sigh. "Well, wherever he is, he's still -him-. If he's in trouble, I have faith in his ability to get out of it, and kick ass while doing so."
<Union-IC> Slightly dissonant, Ailiar> Adai says, "Snake's been in contact. Wherever he is, he's fine."
<Union-IC> Slightly dissonant, Ailiar says, "OOC: And yes, I meant to do that here. I have channels gagged as Snake.)"
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "But he went off on this 'vacation' the same time we had odd behaviors with those Rozen dolls and Mr. Link."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "But he went off on this 'vacation' the same time we had odd behaviors with those Rozen dolls and Mr. Link."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "There's something going on here. Maybe I'm paranoid, but conincidences just don't /happen/."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "there's another possibility, true. he could be on a highly classified mission, in which case our conversation needs to end now."
<Union-IC> Nayru says, "haven't they also been heard on the radio the same way?"
<Union-IC> Gold says, "I don't think it's a maybe."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler sighs. "As much as I hate to admit it, Lieutenant, you're right.
<Union-IC> Slightly dissonant, Ailiar> Adai says, "Suigintou, Suiseiseki, and Link all disappeared in the same town, from what we've found so far."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "and, if he's just on a simple vacation, then we don't need to be having this conversation either."

The streets are covered in blood, dried blood so it doesn't get on people's shoes as they walk. Proceeding in the direction of the hospital.. but that's not right. Anyone would expect.. that leans them right towards the intersection with the impassable hole from last night. They can't get to Sinclair.. the path is blocked.

But amazingly, that hole in the street has entirely vanished from view, replaced with a totally whole intersection, though the road out of town is currently covered by that thick fog of doom. Far down the road, past the intersection with the missing hole in the road, one faintly glowing light in the hospital window is visible with a shape in it. However, that's not the immediate concern. There's the sound of rifle fire from down the other street before Jack runs out of the fog, a half-dozen creatures that look like human figures wrapped ins traight jackets of flesh. He has a lever action rifle in his hand, and as he fires at one it slumps to the ground and ceases to move, though the others still come.

<Comm Signals> Suiseiseki's signal picks up! Though heavily static'd and still completely untraceable, "There was a HOLE here… It's gone now~desu…" Anything else is lost completely to snow and static.

<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "A hole? Where?"

<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "Oh, come /on/."
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "You heard it too?"
<Union-IC> Dorothy Wayneright says, "Interesting."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "Yes, yes I did. Two garbled transmissions… there's /something/ wrong here. Something off."
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "I dunno, they seemed pretty unrelated to eachother."
<Union-IC> Winry Rockbell says, "What's up?"
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "All except the period of time. It's /all/ about the period of time."
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "ARTHUR, play back those last two tranmissions."
<Union-IC> Arthur says, "One moment."
<Union-IC> ARTHUR. All caps. Yes.
<Union-IC> ARTHUR plays back both signals one after the other: <Comm Signals> Solid Snake, faintly and amid a great deal of static, can be heard saying, "It's not bleeding in here." Whatever else is said is lost to static as the signal dies again. | <Comm Signals> Suiseiseki's signal picks up! Though heavily static'd and still completely untraceable, "There was a HOLE here… It's gone now~desu…" Anything else is lost completely to snow and static.
<Union-IC> Minerva snaps her fingers. "Wait. What frequency did those come in on?"
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "There has been at least one odd transmission this past week that was that clogged with static…"
<Union-IC> Winry Rockbell says, "Was it the sound of something metal scraping on concrete?"
<Union-IC> ARTHUR says, "The signal is still untraceable, picked up on a ghost frequency on local AM bands."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "Both signals are from Union Elites. Both occured close to each other, chronological, on an open band, not Union encrypted freqencies. Both of these people left the Union around the same time, under suspicious circumstances."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "I figured as much. But, between what bands? If they came in on the same one, we'd be able to monitor and flag."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "Yes, yes, I know the Field Marshal /said/ he was on vacation, and he's checked in. But I still don't buy he left on anything like such a begin note."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "Stadler, he might have taken vacation time in order to do something that he didn't want any of us involved in. If that's the case we need to respect his wishes."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "but those transmissions… well, for lack of better terms creep me out. I'd like them logged and flagged."
<Union-IC> Yutaro says, "…I believe I said that I'm working on it."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "He had, Lieutenant. And… again, you're right."
<Union-IC> Richard Stadler says, "I just don't like being kept in the dark."

Snake is a bit puzzled by the hole moving around - he'd investigate a little more, but now they have a bigger concern. Weird-looking zombie things. Snake narrows his eyes slightly, and quickly snaps up his FAMAS; switching to semi-auto, he begins firing, one shot at a time, aiming for headshots.

Suigintou is still concerned with her own thoughts, caught up by the fact that Sinclair isn't dead. That's why the straight jacket monsters don't get half the attention they should from her. There's a light and a shape in the direction they're supposed to be headed. Good enough for her - and she already said she didn't care what the others do. She doesn't ignore the monsters entirely, mind. One of her wings grows out and tries to sock one of the things in the face as she passes. … But that's it.

Suigintou hit Pyramid Head with her SOCKO! moderate attack! <Experimental>

Twists and turns and bends in spacetime.. or maybe they had just taken a wrong turn in the fog, but Link recognizes the intersection when they come to it. "Wasn't… wait, wasn't there a huge hole here before- oh darnit!" Fog or no fog, he could still see and hear trouble ahead. Link doesn't waste any time breaking out into a full dash straight down the street for the… creatures. Like emerald lightning, his passing takes almost no time at all and he leaps right into the fray, Master Sword whipping left and right in great slashes meant to cut the things right down where they… wobble.

Link hit Pyramid Head with his Blade of Evil's Bane moderate attack! <Experimental>

Bloody streets. That's just lovely. As dry as the ground is, Suiseiseki remains floating. Above the rusty colored concrete and ferrous stench. But. Wasn't there… The missing gap in the road causes her to halt, face scrunching in confusion- contemplating. "Th… There was a HOLE here!" Suiseiseki announces, even though everyone else had probably already noticed. "It's… It's gone now~desu…" She mumbles.
At least before her eyes are drawn to Jack- the flash of his rifle snagging her attention over to the fight with the- "WHAT ARE THOSE~desu!?" She doesn't have to ask again though as the others begin to unleash on the straighjacket creatures, she whips out the watering can! Using it to try lay down a defensive line barrier of vines between Jack, Snake, Link and the approaching monsters- assuming plants can grow amongst the decrepit concrete?
<OOC> Suiseiseki says, "No attack from Desu."
<OOC> Link says, "It's a special kind of nut. When thrown and it smacks into something, it emits a blinding, stunning, kind of explosive ninja-flash. In OoT and Majora's Mask it stuns enemies for a few seconds."

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "I'll go. Help Jack deal with those… THINGS."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Alright!"
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Radio static..
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "…. Oh…"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…*shit*."
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki says, "A-again~desu?!"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Bad. SUIGINTOU GET BACK QUICK!”
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "I told you, I'm /going/! Do you want him to get killed this time?!"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Is that it?"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Do you have a *DEATH WISH*?"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "Wh- I- Shut up!"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "This is important. He's /alive/."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Stop being so damned selfish! You go off on your own in your little half-crazed world and that's what's going to happen. One of those things is going to *KILL* you, because you were stupid and went off on your *OWN*."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "The only way we're going to be able to save him is *TOGETHER*, do you hear me?"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "None of us want Sinclair to get hurt! Are you going to abandon your friends who're also trying to help him, and get hurt with nobody to help you?!"
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki says, "Nnh…"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "Sh- Shut up! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I'm not- This is- This is m-more important!"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Listen to me, Suigintou. We all want to save him. We *ALL* do. But none of us is going to be able to do it unless we *WORK TOGETHER*. Do it for whatever selfish reason you want, but *DO IT WITH US*, because I'll be DAMNED if I have your death on my conscience too!"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Now get over yourself and *HELP US*."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou slips into German, "<W-what do you think I'm trying to do?! I don't want… I don't want him to die! I DON'T WANT TO BE THE ONE THAT CAUSED IT! Last night was /enough/!>"

And just like that… as Tou brushes past… the side of one of the buildings blows outward, a wall being knocked down as a very similar figure to the one they saw last night. Carrying a great knife in one hand, the creature storms over to one of the remaining fleshbags in the street that had NOT been killed by the elites and grabs it by the skull, crushing the head and blood and pink bits fall from its gloved fingers. Why is it attacking the other monsters? Isn't it… what?

It stares at the group for a moment before sticking its knife in the ground and grabbing one of the creatres by thetop of its head. It then uses that free hand to grab it by the chest, and with ONE mighty yank, he rips the flesh off in one clean piece, dropping it to the ground like a tarp and dropping the bleeding creature as well. That Pyramid of a head is brought forward to slam down into the skull of the last monster, splitting its head open wide as it collapses. Then, breathing heavily it picks up its knife and begins to run towards them, eyes dead set on that hospital.

Suigintou is a stubborn doll. She always has been, and she's not about to back down now, even with the arguments made and thoughts dragged painfully back to the surface of her mind. She shouts back excuses and poor quality justifications even as she keeps moving.
Until Pyramid Head quite literally bursts in on the scene. She shrieks, feathers ruffling considerably, some even harmlessly falling out to the ground. For a moment, she watches in paralyzed fear. After last night - /all/ last night - that creature is imbedded firmly as an object of terror. Ironically, it's also what gets her moving again.
To see Pyramid Head rushing off towards Sinclair knocks … something not quite like sense into her mind, and she zooms off as fast as she can towards the hospital.

Link stiffens at Suigintou's passing, head whipping about to eye her trail. "No, don't go off on your own!" One or two of the creatures have fallen ot the Master Sword's might. It's then that Pyramid Head makes its dramatic entrance. The Hylian pales… "Not Pyramid Head again…!?" Anger seethes up within Link, but Snake's plan sounds better, so he just starts RUNNING… simultaneously yanking out his slingshot and several Deku Nuts from within his tunic. He's RUNNING, but every so often he fires one of the flashbang seeds off for Pyramid Head. Some for the ground in front of him, some for his chest, and one or two for his giant helmet. Back home these things are mere annoyances to most foes, but that's what he's counting on here!

Suddenly Suigintou stop COMPLETELY, hanging utterly frozen in the air with a look of fear and disbelieving guilt.

And that's when the shit hits the fan. Suigintou is Snake's primary concern, but Pyramid Head complicates things. He barks out a quick order over his radio, then reaches to his gear harness, pulling off a stun grenade. He pops the pin and spoon, waits a second, lobs it toward Pyramid Head, and runs. He doesn't even stop to see if it helped; just books it, straight toward Suigintou. Adrenaline is kicking in full-force, probably enough to let him overtake Suigintou. And when he does, he reaches up to *grab* her, not slowing down at all.
Solid Snake hit Pyramid Head with his I'm Flashing You! WOOOOO! stun attack! <Experimental>
Solid Snake hit Suigintou with his Yoink! tag attack! <Experimental>

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "<…no… no no no… nononoNONONO STOP STOP!>"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Hopefully this'll work… if it doesn't I'm gonna see how well it fares against the Blade of Evil's Bane while you guys rescue Sinclair. …Suigintou?!"

It dawns on her… Red-green eyes watching in abject horror as the pyramidal headed fiend brutally decimating the monsters. She locks right up. Holding in the air as the brute charges. "E- exe- executioner~d-desu-" Yet no one pays attention to her. This could be something very important, you know, but nonetheless, it's through a sheer effort of will that the third maiden raises her watering can, attempting to weed up and impede the path before turning and ZIPPING for the hospital with the others.

You pemit "Voice in your head: *Heavy Pyramid Head Breathing* … *Then back to your own voice* You're so selfish. Sure you want him now. But why? Because you couldn't do any BETTER. You're SELFISH! It's always about YOU!" to Suigintou.

Whether the flashbang goes off in its face is a certainty. You can see it hit. And he even stops in his tracks as more deku nuts nailed it square in the chest and helmet. It stands there for a moment, staring at them. At least for the moment, it has stopped its pursuit.
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "We'll read later. For now we've got to get to the hospital!"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Hospital, then the diner, then back to the church, if all goes well!"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Is there anything you read before we left that might be useful?"

Jack takes up the back, still covering their retreat as he runs backwards. He takes a radio from his belt and begins to talk into it.
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki says, "It had pictures~desu- it showed that thing executing someone~de- …………….."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "The Church is the one safe place we know of so far… if we can get these four there all together, then we can focus on leaving the town-… … Pyramid Head's an executioner…?"
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki says, "… L-Lapis~desu. B-but she's alone- is- is the church really safe~desu?!"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "… I don't know. I think it could be."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Knowing this place? I'd guess it's safe. There was no blood."

Thanks to her sudden stop, Suigintou is very easily snatched out of the air. After all that frantic screaming, Snake's smack gets her to stop, leaving her to sob and shake without daring to willingly move an inch forward in any fashion. Rozen Maidens, quite apparently, /can/ cry.

RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'Jack: What division of the military did you say you were in again, son?'
RADIO: Solid Snake radios: Union Armed Forces. I'm the Field Marshal.
RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'Jack: Can't say'n I heard of that one. Is it US?'
RADIO: Solid Snake radios: Close enough. I'm Special Forces if that helps.
RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'Jack: Ah. Ah'm a retired green beret mahself. You ain't much younger'n me. Why ain't you retired yet?'
RADIO: Solid Snake radios: …Battlefield's about all I'm good for. Is this really a good time to be talking about this?
RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'Jack: Reckon' not. We should get back to workin'. Just figger you should'n ponder one more thing. D'ya enjoy leadin' em? *click*'

Link takes a few moments to make sure the thing's stopped its pursuit and that Jack's okay, then focuses fully on speeding after the others! "Phew, that takes care of that!" The anger in his voice is barely bitten back. That was the thing that shishkabob'd Sinclai, and LInk still didn't know what to make of the thing at all! He hurries to catch up Snake, ending up dashing along right next to him! "If that doesn't hold it off for long, I'll see how well Pyramid Head does against the Blade of Evil's Bane. No matter how strong it is, at the least I can hold it off. Worst case is I'll have to use the Magic Armor for a while…"

Snake turns to look at Link briefly, still running, and shakes his head. "Not a good idea. That thing shrugged off everything we threw at it last night. I don't think we're gonna be able to bring it down any time soon. Right now, priority one is to get to Sinclair and get him out of here."

It… It stopped following? That's not enough for Suiseiseki. The old tome in the church she came across while on her watch was more then enough to convince her that THING is not something to be anywhere near. And she's quick to catch up with Link, Snake… And Suigintou.
There's something Suiseiseki never thought she would see. The first of the Rozen Maiden. … Crying.
There's no smug sense of victory to be found in it. Hell, Desu can't even bring herself to act all high and mighty. "L… Let's get Sinclair- and- then… Can we check on L-Lapis~desu…?"

As they all run off, the creature stares at them for a long time before it turns and begins to walk in the opposite direction that they were going.

And that's the end of that, right? The dark, ominous path takes them right up to the hospital, which still has that light on and a shadow figure in the window before the light flickers a few times and some gunshots are heard from the room, muffled by the closed window and the walls. The door to the hospital is wide open. In the reception area of the hospital there's a few papers on the desk and a book sitting on one of the seats.

Snake steps into the waiting room smoothly, the sound of gunshots adding some urgency to his movements. He beelines for the reception desk, bringing Suigintou up and setting her down on the desk - hard enough, he hopes, to jar her back to her senses. "Suigintou, come on! Don't check out on us now, we need you!"

Suigintou's crying was dying off a little… Keyword was. It certainly helps that Pyramid Head isn't following them anymore, but the gunshots make her tremble like a beaten dog, and drag out a few more worried sobs. Another shudder is caused when Snake puts her down the way he does. She looks up at him. All that defiant determination from before is gone. She doesn't say a thing, nor even nod, but somehow she finds it in herself to raise off the desk. She floats around to a position behind the man. Suiseiseki gets not even the slightest glance from her.

Gunshots… Silhouettes in the windows, flashes of muzzlefire. Suiseiseki is next to follow into the lobby, setting down right on the desk where Snake sets her elder sister, shoes landing upon a few of the papers on the desk … Sure. She hates her sister's guts but it's a whole different matter now. Because they're all trapped in this hellhole now.
Gaze casting up at Snake for a moment and then back to 'Tou. Should she say something? She was already scared numb by the second appearance of the executioner, and maybe she'd just end up saying something worse- so Suiseiseki quietly casts her gaze down at the papers where she stands.

Gunshots, coming from the hospital?! "Great, now what?!" He bursts right in alongside Snake, glancing about, he heads for the nearest door (whether it's the right one or not, he's gonna peek inside!) Along the way his eyes catch the cover of a book…

SCREEECH! Link whirls about to take ANOTHER look at it, then snatches it right up. "Wha…"

(You got the book Silent Hill: A History! What secrets might its pages hold? Perhaps you should read lead it later!)

Provided it doesn't try to BITE him or anything, he'd tuck it away somewhere. "Hey guys, I found something useful!" It's then he notices Suigintou's situation and dashes back over, forgetting about looking in the door. "Suigintou, it's alright. Right now you have to be brave! Whatever's gotten you upset… you're not junk, and if you want to prove it wrong then come with us and help Sinclair! That's what you want to do, right?" Yes, it sounds a little awkwards. Link was never the best at these kinds of things…

With everyone falling in, Snake moves to take point again, and begins the process of working their way through the hospital.

The desk that suiseiseki settles down on has sign-in papers next to it! She can see that it clearly says 'Sinclair Davidson: ROom 404'. Dark Silent Hill seems to be infesting everywhere. As soon as Snake moves to take point, what looks like a decaying nurse zombie charges right for Snake, attempting to grab him and slam him into a wall.

<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki t-twitch. "F-four-o-four~Desu. Let's get him and get BACK to Lapis~desu!"

Oh, come *on*. He may be struggling to keep a cool head, but he's still *Solid Snake*. The hands reaching out from him are smacked aside in a smooth, almost reflexive motion from Snake, who flows from that into a sharp drive of the rifle's butt right into the Nurse's wrapped face. That alone isn't the bulk of the attack; *that* comes when Snake swings the rifle down into firing position and fires at point blank range.

What on Earth?! Now there's… horrid un-nurses dropping in. And here Link had started to like the Union hospital with all the pretty girls in cute uniforms around… THIS was quite a stain on that image. "Gah!" Out comes the Master Sword again. Link dashes forthth, hesitating only a second before trying to smack one away across the belly with the blade's flat!
Link hit Pyramid Head with his The book will get read later! moderate attack! <Experimental>

Suigintou turns away from Link. She's not feeling very brave at all right now, even with encouragement. Really, it's more as if she's /afraid/ to be so at this point. Just look where it got her earlier! She knows very well not to trust the static now, either. Her immediate thought is that Sinclair's going to get killed even with Pyramid Head gone, drawing another sob.
The nurses and Snake's unhesitating action against them tear her. Part of her wants to hide from everything. Another part knows she's expected to do something. Reluctantly, she sends about a dozen feathers flying for one of the monsters, but they lack their usual speed and some of the sharpness.

<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Jack transmits a gunshot, "I'm going to wait outside and pick off these creatures that're comin up the road one by one. Easy pickin's."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Alright. It gets too thick out there, make a break for it. No need to be a hero at our age.;"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake slices off that ;
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Jack laughs, "Ah reckon' you're right."

And the place just makes it conveniently easy! What with the sign in sheets notating where their intended target of rescue is. A deep breath- as though to shout, she winces… Hesitant as though some deep inner though flashed across her mind. "F-four-o-four~desu. He's in room four-o-four!" She announces as the nurses make their appearance. "Let's get him back to the church~desu!" She… Really wants to get back to that church.
Elbowing past Suigintou as Link and Snake engage, Suiseiseki thrusts herself into the fray, "They're in the way~desu!" It's a brazen and headstrong move- more out of a desperation to get what they had all come for and to get OUT as she tries to clobber one nurse with all the impact she can muster from speed and her watering can coming down at its skull.
And then she starts mumbling…
"She'llbefine~desuShe'llbefine~desuShe'llbefine~desuShe'llbefine~desu…"

Suiseiseki hit Pyramid Head with her MOVE, get out the way~desu! >:| strong attack! <Experimental>
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki starts muttering and mumbling, herself: "She'llbefine~desuShe'llbefine~desuShe'llbefine~desu…"

As fast as they're cut down, another swarm of the zombies nurses show up, these ones weilding heavy pipes which they swing right at the Field Marshal, mainly because he's the one currently taking up the entire hallway! However, it seems like there aren't TOO many more, though time may be of the essence as the sound of more gunshots rings out from down the hallway.
Pyramid Head hit Solid Snake with its Let me bring you your pipe, sir! moderate attack! <Experimental>

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "We don't have time for this…! Everyone, back out of the hallway! Grenade!"

Suigintou trembles in the same manner of before thanks to those gunshots. She can't help wondering just how much her actions are causing things, leading her to be torn on how to act yet again. Suiseiseki's mutterings are no comfort - though that earlier elbowing from the younger doll didn't even get a glare.
Snake provides a good alternative, though. It means the first doll doesn't have to attack anything on her own, but it still means damaging the nurse zombies. She flies quickly back out of the hallway, then watches and waits.

Snake takes a pipe-hit to the shoulder, knocking him into the wall briefly, the sudden sharp pain serving to briefly clear his mind. Several enemies, in a confined space, that need to be dealt with quickly…

Snake lashes out with his assault rifle again, this time right toward the solar plexus of the nearest one. The goal is to knock her back and stun her, giving them just enough room that everyone can clear out of the hallway. Snake himself does so pretty fast…

…leaving behind a small, spinning sphere on the ground at the nurses' feet. The pin hits the ground just as Snake rounds the corner.
Solid Snake hit Pyramid Head with his Drop Grenade, Throw Pin- wait… uber attack! <Experimental>

NOW they had pipes, and there were MORe of them. Link retreats two steps, so when Snake gets hit he winces. Darnit, gotta pay more attention in this place! THEN the grenade's tossed. Link promptly bolts after Snake. Upon rounding the corner he yanks out a Bombchu, which looks… well, it's a large mouse about as big as his arm. It's hurled for the Zombie Nurses.. the INSTANT it hits the ground it VRRRROOOOOOOOMS across the floor in a cute little WIGGUWIGGU like the mouse it's named after…

The watering can clearly isn't enough to deal with a corridor full of those nurse things, and it's the warning from Snake that makes Suiseiseki BACK off. Darting away and back behind the corner, following the Field Marshall and the Hylian as Link brings the bombchu into play. Not much else.

<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Next time I'll just use normal bombs… these things are hard to aim right!"

That explosion from both Bombchu and grenade blow the nurses to bit, also wrecking the hall somewhat! However, now's not the time for aesthetics, right? So the bloody hall is a bit dirtier. Boohoo! The gunshots from outside indicate Jack holding off their pursuers, and the gunshots from inside abruptly stop! It's right now the hall from you all! You guys are so very close!
Snake doesn't wait; as soon as the explosion happens, as soon as the shrapnel hits the wall in front of them, he's around the corner and running down the hall full-tilt, FAMAS at the ready.

Gunshots stopping can mean one of two things. Though it's a relief to have the nurses dead, the worry over the darker possibility of those stopped gunshots overshadows things in Suigintou's mind. She trembles a little, but staying where she is won't allow her to find out if she's right any sooner. Hesitantly, she peers from around the corner into the hall… So too would she show cautiousness in everything else, if not for Snake. The haste surprises her, and prompts her (despite all her uncertainty) to move a bit faster. Just a bit. She flies after him, though not near as quickly as she could.

One of two things in Link's mind too. The fight was over with the shooter or the target falling… "Which was it?!" He doesn't waste any time in heading to find out. "Room… four-hundred and four!" He reminds the group from JUSt behind Snake, looking back long enough to check on Suiseiseki and Suigintou. "Are you two alright?!"

Running down the hall and rounding the corner would reveal a hallway full of the dead nurses, and a room with an open door. Heading into that room would reveal MORE dead nurses and Sinclair sitting on the bed, smoking shotgun in his hands as blood pours out of an open wound in his shoulder. He coughs a few times, "What… are those.. things?"

"We were gonna ask you the same thing," Snake replies once. "Come on, we're getting the hell out of here. Jack's covering the front door. We're gonna get you back to the church, Lapis is waiting for you. You need help walking?" he adds, raising an eyebrow.

"She'llbefi- H-huh?" The question is enough to snap Suiseiseki from her mutterings. "J-ja~desu" She grunts, floating into the room with Snake. "Okay- we found him- can we go BACK to the church now~desu?"

"Whatever.. whatever they are it doesn't matter. Come with us! We're heading back to the Church… your daughter's waiting for you there." It's only now that Link can finally smile. The wrong had so far been righted. Now it was time to claim victory and KEEP them right! "Hold on a minute!" Link digs about in his tunic, and yanks out a clear glass bottle filled with sloshing red liquid, offering the mixture to Sinclair. "Drink that! It's great for healing wounds!"

He then nods to Desu. "Yeah, we're heading back, but we've still gotta find Milly! She's at the diner right?"

Suigintou looks to Link briefly, but offers no verbal answer. Physically, she looks fine. Mentally is another issue altogether. Thankfully, as they arrive in the room, it's apparent that Sinclair has survived somehow. The doll lets out a long, shaky breath, doubtlessly one of relief. Her shoulders literally slump as the metaphorical weight of worry is lifted from them. "He didn't get killed…" she murmurs quietly to herself, perhaps to set it make it more concrete by her own reckoning.
Regardless of whatever reaction Sinclair held towards her before, she floats over - not too close - to "watch over" him. It's the best she can do with no outward healing ability.

"I'll be fine. I can manage." He gets out of the bed, using the shotgun as a cane so he can stand up and hobble towards the door. And as he heads for the door of the hospital… the church bell starts to ring. Diiiiiing…..doooong…diiiiiing….doooooong…and then…*CRAAAAAACK*… a pause… *CLAAAAAAANG* (<-Sound of bell hitting concrete).

Ohhh… THAT'S why he didn't follow them.

That's about the moment Snake's eyes go wide. "No…!" And just like that, Solid Snake is gone. Not down the hallway, no. He jumps /right out the freaking window/, hitting the ground in a tumble and coming out of it in a flat sprint toward the church at a speed that by all rights no human should be able to run.

"That's what you said before before Pyramid Head came at you," Link murmurs unhappily. Why wouldn't this guy take any of his advice? What a pain…

THEN, the unmistakable ringing of church bells reaches his pointy ears. "…!!" All the color drains from the Hylian's face, not that anyone can tell very well as he simply yells to Suiseiki and Suigintou, "Look after Sinclair and head to the Church!" The next instant he slaps on the Goron Mask, and though the process draws a small scream of pain for him as his whole body disfigures and shifts about with a magical shimmer of light into the bulky form of a Goron, he wastes no time in barreling out right after Snake. On the way down he curls up into a ball that hits the ground likesome kind of demon wheel. Magical flames erupt all around and SPIKES shoot out from the rocky Goron hide. It's only a few seconds and he's OUTSTRIPPING even Snake on a beeline for the church!

Suigintou follows along dutifully behind Sinclair, despite not having the genuine obligation she does with the real Psyber. The familiarity is a comfort, for one thing. The other is that she doesn't want him to nearly die again; she's had quite enough of dealing with that already.
She looks up briefly at the sound of the bell. It's a given for her to not be as worried about Lapis as she is about the faux-Psyber, but she figures quite quickly that it has to be Pyramid Head doing it. That's enough to send yet another shudder through her. Still… Sinclair is the one she's following and watching. He's more the leader to her than Snake, and she acts accordingly.

Church bells… Bell… Hitting… Concrete… There's a LONG silence from the green-clad doll before… "M-Mein gott~Desu! I SAID TO GET THROUGH THIS FAST! SUISEISEKI SAID TO GO BACK AND CHECK ON LAPIS!" She screeches and she's ALMOST about to leap out the window too when Snake and Link beat her and- 'Look after Sinclair'?
"Wh- what? You've gotta be KIDDING me~desu!" Snake and Link are already that far ahead though, and if she were to go that would leave Suigintou alone- with the faux Psyber, but the group cohesion would be shot. It's a tough call- she WANTS to fly to the church but high chances are she'd get lost in the fog. Indecision racks the third maiden before she whips to Suigintou and Sinclair, "Rrgh… C'mon~desu!" She snaps, motioning for the church.

<8-Supplemental> Link can speak over the horrible crunching of concrete thanks to CODECs! "No way will ANYTHING seperate this family!!"

Jack is… not in front of the hospital right now, of course! He's long gone, but what he DID do for Snake, Link, Desu, Sinclair and Tou is clear them a path to the church, the street littered with corpses but none of them standing for the pursuing elites as they dart towards the church.

When they arrive, the bell has been ripped out and tossed right into the street, the mammoth bronze obstacle taking up the entire road and likely requiring link to break his goron form (which he was gonna have to do soon anyway). The belltower at the top stands empty. In the street in front of it, Milly appears to be clutching Lapis tightly, speaking to her softly, sobbing faintly. Though what exactly she's saying can certainly not be heard over the sound of concrete under him(Link) cracking and shredding. Though Snake might be fortunate to hear it. Faintly, a drizzle begins to fall over the entire scene. In the faint moonlight, something in Milly's hand glints.

Twenty yards away from the whole thing, at a bend in the road, the Pyramid Head stands watching them, unmoving, Great Knife in hand.

"DON'T DO IT!" Snake yells, at the top of his lungs. "SINCLAIR'S ALIVE! WE FOUND HIM!" He's charging for the two of them as fast as he can, but at this rate Link will be there first. Let's just hope they aren't terrified by the Goron…

Suiseiseki gets a sideways glance from Suigintou, the first active look at the younger doll in a good while. She's still following after Sinclair; she doesn't intend to stop anytime soon. She can't help some irritation at what's said. All the same… There's a sort of understanding. For once, the first Rozen Maiden knows the worry and concern that her sister must be feeling, for she felt something similar enough for the Sinclair just earlier. For that … she hurries. It's nothing fast enough to outspeed the faux-Psyber, but at least it's /something/.
When they reach the church and find both Lapis and Milly alive, faint relief does spread through Suigintou. She can't hear Milly's words from over here; Snake's reaction thusly seems odd in her mind. Or it would, if not for Pyramid Head. Much like before, the sight alone strikes fear into her heart. She stops in mid-air.

Goron Link's rolling WAY too fast to possibly really see details like what Milly's holding, but he DOES spot who's there… AND what else is there./ Pyramid Head. Anger rages inside his gut and the Goron form grinds to a halt and rips the mask off, revealing Link again in another small flash of light. "Milly, Lapis!! We found Sinclair, and he's alive!" Still not sure what she was doing OUTSIDE the church, Link vaults around the bell and dashes for them, making SURE to put himself in Pyramid Head's way… and NOW that he's got a second to catch his breath, takes a better look at what's going on.

"C'monc'monc'monc'mon~desuuu!" All the while incessantly urging 'Tou and the PseudoPsyber, injured or not, the church is the one place where Suiseiseki wants to be right now. And on arrival… OTHER than Pyramid Head and the wrecked bell all seems… Well… Milly and Lapis… Alive and well! Even if the woman is crying.
She sets down on the ground, a heavy sigh of relief issuing forth0 if only for a moment. Snake's call sticks out to her ear. Don't do it?

Don't do what?

The faint glimmer of the object in Milly's hands is what the third maiden's heterochromatic gaze suddenly rests upon- and then to the Red Pyramid off to the side with his giant blade.
And then up comes her watering can- not aimed for the helmeted behemoth- but for the woman cradling her daughter, dead silent.

The confused one in all this is Lapis, "Don't do what?" She asks curiously, looking around as everyone shows up. Milly is the next one to raise her head, looking over at Snake as she shakily raises her hand, a wicked looking knife, not entirely dis-similar to the one Pyramid head is holding but much much smaller is in her hand, "N-No… that's not true… no one has ever survived it. You're lying!" A slightly crazed look in her eyes as her hair sticks down to her face, hiding the tears. Sinclair is, admittedly, still trying to hobble down that road towards them.

And the Pyramid Head stares, breath audible in the silence.

"Why would I lie?!" Snake yells. "*Why*?! He's coming down the road right now!" He skids to a stop several feet from them, trying not to alarm Milly by coming any closer. "It's something you can check if you get up and come this way! He's got a wound in his shoulder but he's up and walking! See for yourself! Just *don't do it*!"

Snake's words over the radio are enough to make Link freeze fhere he stands. What… was that even possible for someone to do…?! "Doooooon't!" That's his first reaction, especially when he sees what the blade is. Normally, Link would be a lot more…eloquent and nicer about this. He'd not even think it was possible. But Silent Hill is not a nice place, and his utter frustration's beginning to show. Tearing attention from the Pyramid Head, Link pulls out a few Deku Nuts without thinking… they'd worked on that thing before. "He's almost here… Suigintou and Suiseiseki are escorting him!"
Is she really going to do it? Suiseiseki was never an expert at hostage situations, but even Desu can tell that this is a very delicate moment. Rooted in place with her watering can aimed right at Milly rather threateningly, the doll's hands tremble, joints rattling. Why? That girl isn't even her real twin! That girl isn't even related to her! At best a Multiversal doppleganger.
But deep down maybe she just doesn't want to see Souseiseki- or someone who even LOOKS like her killed. … Again. Like that last time when she was so helpless to stop it from happening. Perhaps pointing a weapon at the hysterical woman isn't the best of ideas, an grudgingly the younger of the present Rozen Maidens lowers her watering can.
"Y-you don't have to~desu-" Suiseiseki almost croaks. "He's fine~desu- R-really- it's true~yes- Suiseiseki isn't lying- Snake isn't lying~desu…" She urges- the Pyramid Head is by this point mostly if not completely forgotten by the green-clad doll.

Suigintou is once again torn. A slew of thoughts rush through her mind, trying to pull her in different directions. Her gaze may be stuck on Pyramid Head, but she is far from ignoring what else is going on around her. Verbal pleas… disbelief from Milly… the fact that Sinclair isn't here yet. And Suiseiseki, shaking and trembling. Time is important here. She recognizes that very clearly, knowing it from the feeling of earlier situations.
Waiting and talking, she thinks, are not going to do it.
With a literal swallow to accompany the metaphorical one for her pride, she decides to do something. She fires feathers. They're not sharp, but they are strong, and they move as fast as she can make them. They're aimed for Milly. With any luck, they should latch onto her hands and force them back - away from Lapis - and at least provide a temporary restraint.
Suigintou hit Pyramid Head with her Stop moving, please~! tag attack! <Experimental>

Milly stops… about to be almost entirely diffused before a flurry of feathers stick her arms and her forces her to drop the knife as she shrieks, "I knew it was a trap! I'll never trust you people again!" She shrieks at them before her eyes go wide as she FINALLY sees Sinclair coming, "Th-they were right!" She says as both she and her daughter immediately rush over to grab him and support the hobbling diner-owner, taking him to the side of the road.

The Pyramid Head slowly takes a step forward.

"I'm not going to lie toto you! No way wil I let anything else happen to this family! Trust us, we just want to keep you safe and get the heck out of this town!" WHAT the heck was one of those noisy engines doing switching on right about now?! "…!! Get off the street!" Pyramid Head making a move AT ALL prompts Link to hurl the Deku Nuts its way, but without waiting to see how well they work or even land he's already dashing for Lapis, Milly, and Sinclair…

<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Jack laughs and transmits a revving engine, "I gotta hand it to you, Pliskin. You remind me of what a soldier really is."

Feathers?! It's a look of almost sheer utter surprise and shock that crosses Suiseiseki's face, christmas-y eyes snapping wide as- black feathers prevent the knife from coming down. And for a moment she's rooted in place, almost confused at least until the elder Rozen tells her to get the girl.
"Wh-" Barely able to believe it she finally manages to stammer out an affirmation- already flying forward to snatch up Lapis- she's stopped as, well for one, the call to get out of the road, and two, the woman picks the girl up before she can and gets out of harm's way.
A bit of a helpless and annoyed grunt is her response to this, but at least Lapis is safe… Hopefully. Her head turns, flat out staring at the Silver-haired doll- at least before again the reminder to get out of the road- and she's quick to do that, following over to the group.

Suigintou watches Milly and Lapis, not dropping her concentration for a moment until she's sure that the suicide isn't going to happen. Then, she flies over away from the road quick as she can. Not one look towards Suiseiseki.

A pair of headlights appear in mist, and an engine is clearly audible before… a pickup truck appears out of the mist, skidding and rocketing down the road with the Sheriff at the wheel! He swerves around the bell and heads straight for the Pyramid Head, which turns to face him. Coiling back its arm and stabbing forward… it pierces the windshield and catches Johnson right through the chest, though even the Pyramid head is not strong enough to stop a careening car as the thing slams into him and he goes up onto the hood. The car rockets off the road and… after a moment there's the sound of a fence breaking and another moment before… SPLASH!

When the splash happens, he winces visibly, turning his head and falling still for a moment. The sheriff's last words leave Snake murmuring something into his own radio for a moment. And then he turns, his face cold, unreadable, and starts jogging. He makes his way over to the group - specifically, looking at the redhead mother of the family trio. "Milly," he says, his voice carefully neutral. "The church. Is it safe from that *thing*? Did you drag her out of there, or did that?"

And THEEEEERE goes the truck bareling through. Link would breath a sigh of relief if it eren't for the Sheirf's fate! He reaches a hand out as if one of his tricks could do something for him… but it's too late. There they go!

The Hylian's outstretched arm collapses. Three people left to protect… "That thing better be gone…" He turns to ask Milly something, but the instanthis mouth opens to do so Snake's already beat him to it. "…."

<Comm Signals> Pyramid Head | Crackling radio static, A voice eerily similar to Snake… but also different,"*Static* KSSHT-mber… eve-KSSSH- fi-KSSH-ing is all -KSSH-ow… at -KSSH- use what -KSSSH- fight for -KSSH- believe-KSSH-.. and care-KSSH-."

<Comm Signals> Link's heard next, also through heavy static. "…rest peace*KSSSH*ly, hero." Several seconds of static follow, then one last thing can be heard. "-think Pyramid Head's go-" Signal lost.

<Union-IC> Minerva says, "… who the bleeping bleep is Pyramid Head?"
<Union-IC> Dorothy Wayneright says, "No idea."
<Union-IC> Psyber | ARTHUR says, "The term matches no known files."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "somehow I doubt it's a reference to that song by They Might Be Giants."
<Union-IC> Isamu Dyson says, "Thats triangle man."
<Union-IC> Dorothy Wayneright says, "Not enough information is coming through."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "I really don't like this lack of intel."
<Union-IC> Benjamin Sisko says, "Nor do I, but little to nothing will be accomplished chomping at the bit."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "Oh, in relation to Winry's request in her report, psychic scans and magical scrying at the point of dissappearance turned up… absolutely nothing."
<Union-IC> Michiko says, "I didn't get anything either…"
<Union-IC> Amelia says, "I sensed nothing at all."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "the strongest imprint left on the area that I picked up was a feral cat killing a careless pidgeon."
<Union-IC> Black Mage says, "Sounds like Fiddler's Green."

Two lives saved, another lost. It's a bit odd for Suigintou to go through. She's not sure if she should be disappointed or not. Snake didn't show the fear Suiseiseki did, though… and he at least seems to accept the death. That's better consolation than getting nothing at all. Milly and Lapis have fallen out of her immediate concern for the moment. Sinclair, oddly enough, doesn't seem to be first in her mind, either. Now is when she looks back to her sister. Her expression is blank, neither asking nor saying anything.

It goes from one serious and solemn moment to another… Setting down at the side of the road, one hand shakily laying upon her chest as though trying to settle down her heartbeat- or at least the pulse of her Rosa Mystica, an exhausted sigh as she watches the truck take the Metal helmeted monster for a ride into the lake. Deep, slow breathing, followed by a final sigh as she settles in with the group- the occasional glance at the Field Marshal- The Hylian- Lapis, her mother and father.
Finally heterochromatic eyes catch Suigintou-
"Wh- wha- what?" She asks at first, peeking behind her, is something there? Maybe that's why the elder doll is looking her way? No… There's nothing. Head turning to look away almost embarassedly, she avoids eye contact with those lilac eyes. "D- … Danke~desu." She mumbles. Just barely audible- hoping no one would really catch it, but in truth- everyone should be able to.
"H-hey… Did he get it~desu?"

Lapis speaks up, "Mommy called to me. She said she needed to talk to me. But.. who are you talking about. I only saw mommy and you guys. No one else.." She looks genuinely confused, as if she couldn't see the Pyramid Head. Milly picks her up, "Let's go rest in the church…" Milly says in an ashamed tone, as if she doesn't want to talk about what just happened at all. Sinclair leans on Milly's shoulder as she gives him a peck on the cheek and helps him towards the door. The inside still seems totally untouched by the darkness.

As Milly walks by Link, she leans in and whispers something in his ear before she continues walking towards the church.

(Milly whispers: When I called her out… he appeared in the belltower and broke the bell." to Link.)

Link stands up straight… eyes Milly once. "… that might have been a good thing." Whatever he's responding to he's not clarifying on for everyone to hear, but he walks along with the others for the Church's doors. "I'm starting to get an idea of what that thing is… I wonder if it's really gone." He sneaks inside, then eyes the family that's back together, minus a sheriff or not. It made him feel warm inside, seeing them back together, even in a grisly place like Silent Hill…

Link stands up straight… eyes Milly once. "… that might have been a good thing." Whatever he's responding to he's not clarifying on for everyone to hear, but he walks along with the others for the Church's doors. "I'm starting to get an idea of what that thing is… I wonder if it's really gone." He sneaks inside, then eyes the family that's back together, minus a sheriff or not. It made him feel warm inside, seeing them back together, even in a grisly place like Silent Hill…

Suigintou just keeps looking, even as Suiseiseki peers about in confusion. She says nothing to the thank you, but there is a faint change in her expression, just enough to suggest acknowledgement. She's still got some pride in her; it wouldn't be her if she didn't. But it's something, and it - all what she just did - is a change from her usual method.
She turns away. Sinclair gets a careful look, then Milly and Lapis. The pseudo-sister's questions draw up confusion, of course. "She didn't see it…?" Mercury Lampe doesn't ask it to anyone in particular. After a moment, she floats back into the church.

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "… You do?"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "I'm not sure, but it's not a… person. It's some kind of spirit… and I THINK it wanted us to come back here."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Lapis says she didn't see anything… I'm sure that's important, but what does it mean?"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…Maybe this place can't hurt kids?"

While everyone else is heading inside, Solid Snake is still standing there, looking out across the town to where Jack disappeared into the fog with Pyramid Head. He's quiet, for a long, long moment…

And then, briefly, he snaps to attention. People might call it silly-looking or weird later. But right now, for Snake, it's the right thing to do.

Finally, he turns, and begins walking toward the church, mostly in silence. He does say one thing, though. "Suigintou. I'd like to talk with you in private, once we're settled in in there."

<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Maybe. But it did it right when Milly was going to do something AWFUL…"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "There's a difference she must have, but … I don't think that's it."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, ".. maybe the thing wanted us to stop her. But then why'd it hurt Sinclair…?"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou makes a vaguely sick noise.
<8-Supplemental> Link hehs with a hint of his usual goofiness. "Sorry, Zelda'd be better at this."

Link makes his way to a pew without delay and pulls out the book from earlier, hopping up to a position where he can watch over everyone else. "I found this earlier! Is this the book, Suiseiseki?" Without waiting for confirmation he's already started to read it…

"Talk…?" Suigintou turns in the air, looking towards Snake with mild curiosity, amongst the lingering confusion over Lapis's difference between everyone else … and then something like nauseousness at a few words from Link. She glances away, quiet for just a moment as she clears her thoughts a little.
"Very well," she answers at last.
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki says, "Maybe~desu- and this is just speculation~yes! Could there be… More than one~desu…?"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Who knows… isn't ONE of 'em enough?"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "This whole place reminds me of Ikana somehow…"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou makes that noise again.
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Hey Snake, when I'm done with this book you might want to read it next. I think this is Earth history."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "I'll take a look at it later, yeah."

Even a quiet corner away from the others in the church isn't enough to give a little doll any solace. And for the longest time all that doll can do is stare down at her shoes from where she sits, motionless and silent.

Aren't you worried about Lapis? She's all alone back there… Poooooor widdle Lapis. She's all alone, you know. If she dies? It's all your fault.

That voice- that clawing nagging whisper in the back of her head- … it just won't stop! Even now after the danger has passed. A glance- no don't look that way- but… Is she really safe? The resemblance is terrifying- EXACTLY like-

But it's not her.

Even that other one. Sinclair. Suigintou was just as shaken when the executioner came for him. But is wasn't Psyber!

Maybe… Maybe she just wants something familiar to cling to. Even if that wasn't the case the multiverse plays horrible tricks. This scary hell of a town- populated with only monsters and copies of those close. It was hard- that helpless feeling. Milly holding that knife, gleaming in the moonlight over Sousei- … Lapis. So horrifyingly close to cutting the girl's skin and drawing blood. All too similar to the time- the last time she felt so helpless, the time that she really DID lose her, and all while that enigmatic, monstrous figure of the executioner watched from the sidelines. The executioner is always there! ALWAYS THERE!

Why. Even with the sudden forced trip to the bottom of the lake, Jack saw to that. Is the executioner really gone?

Another look- don't let her see. A breath, held, and eyes shut, the world blacking out as hands rise to shield herself- her face from view, and like that she remains.

"Talk…?" Suigintou turns in the air, looking towards Snake with mild curiosity, amongst the lingering confusion over Lapis's difference between everyone else … and then something like nauseousness at a few words from Link. She glances away, quiet for just a moment as she clears her thoughts a little.
"Very well," she answers at last.

Snake leads the way inside, heading for a small side room in the church (It has one now, so there). He waits for Suigintou to step in, and then steps in himself, closing it behind him. After doing this, he sets his assault rifle down, then reaches up to remove the Solid Eye System from his head, leaving both eyes uncovered. Finally comes the bandana, set down beside the rifle and SES, after which Snake moves to sit down. "First things first. I slapped you earlier to snap you out of it, but if you're still upset, go ahead and hit me back." He bares his chin and cheek at this declaration.

Suigintou makes that vaguely sick sound again… Luckily, it's the last time, leaving her able to focus on Snake. She follows him into the room, then waits and watches patiently as he closes the door, removes things, and sits down. His offer is far from what she expected. It shows in raised eyebrows and a stare. She does consider the idea, as evidenced by her hand curling into a tight fist. The hit doesn't come, however, and eventually her hand relaxes. The quiet continues for a little longer.
"… No." The response is short and simple, lacking in harsh emotion. The doll doesn't offer anything in the way of explanation, either.
"I assume there is some other reason you asked to speak with me, correct?"

Snake nods softly, more to himself than anything, when she turns him down for the free shot. "There is. But I wanted that out of the way first." He sits back, leaning back in his chair and crossing a leg. "You did a good job out there. You might've saved that little girl's life. But you also did a lot of things that could've gone really badly. I'm not here to scold you about what you did…" Here, he shifts a little bit. "Something's bothering you. Something's been bothering you ever since we got here. All of us can see it, and it's messing you up pretty badly. I'm no doctor or anything like that, but I think it's a good idea that you get it off your chest. Link's still got a bit of growing to do, and I'm pretty sure you're not gonna tell Suiseiseki, so that leaves me."

At first, Suigintou listens calmly. The praise doesn't elicit much of a response. It's not like she goes around saving people for her sisters everyday, much less ones that look like /another/ sister. As new as it is, the implications of it all are still settling into her mind. Her lingering pride doesn't make her want to admit that kind of thing too openly, either. As Snake goes on, bringing up other things that happened, and the worries that accompanied and caused each, her lips slowly pull into a frown. Her head lowers, as does her gaze.
After a few seconds, she begins to tremble. "… No. N-… No." She turns completely in order to face the door they came in through. "Let me- I want to sleep now."

"This is exactly what I'm talking about," Snake says simply. "You're shaking right now just thinking about it. I could tell you what I think is bothering you, but it's not the same if it doesn't come from you. And it's only going to keep bugging you if you don't get it off your chest. I promise you that not a word you say will leave this room, and if it'll make you feel any better, I'll tell you what this town's been bothering me with, too." He shakes his head slightly. "There's only so far anyone can go on their own."

Even if Snake sees how much it's affecting her, Suigintou is still highly reluctant. Her shaking grows worse as he goes on, and as more of those very worries she doesn't want to admit swirl about her mind. She's not turning away from that door. Stubbornness is a strong trait in this one. Not even Snake's own admission that he's been bothered by everything convinces her. She simply shakes her head. "No. No, I can't, no. I want… Let- … Open the door. Open it."
A little later, quiet and almost shamefully, she adds, "Please."

Snake doesn't say anything to that. The door isn't actually locked; presumably Suigintou knows how to open doors herself. If she's not leaving on her own…

What he DOES do is lean forward a bit, resting his elbows on his legs, and his chin on his laced fingers. "Alright, I'll talk first." He doesn't exactly look at Suigintou, but rather begins to talk. "The man that sheriff looked like was my father. Big Boss, the greatest soldier of my world. They cloned me, Liquid and Solidus from him, and brought us all up to be soldiers too. I've spent my whole life on the battlefield, killing people for no other reason than because it was my job. No remorse, no guilt. Just pull the trigger and move on. I've probably killed as many people as you've ever met. I even killed my own father, Big Boss."

Suigintou drops to the floor with a small thump. She nearly falls over, but manages to steady herself just enough. Something has hit her, before Snake even starts talking. Whatever it is… she doesn't say. For the record she is quite capable of opening doors, and even if it were locked, she could probably bust it down with brute force via her wings. There's a deeper reason for asking, which she also doesn't state openly.
As it is, she's left to listen silently as Snake details his own troubles and past. She doesn't seem too strongly affected by any of it until the killing comes up. That she can identify with, in some vague form, and a stronger shudder runs through her. Finally, it's hearing him admit to killing his own father that gets her to look up at him. Shock is clear across her face, and she goes to say something- then stops.
Her head turns back towards the door, then she sinks to a sitting position. Her arms wrap tightly around her knees. She breathes out shakily.
"I thought I would get what I wanted."

Snake is watching her as she drops to the floor, but continues saying what he's saying, though when Suigintou starts talking, he sets aside his own monologue for the time being and nods slightly. "If I understand the Rozen Maidens right, that's to become 'Alice', right? I don't quite get it all, but I think I have the gist of it." He sits back up in his chair, folding his arms over his chest again and nodding slightly to Suigintou, an indicator to continue if she's so inclined.

Suigintou nods faintly. This part is easier to get out- she's told it countless times before, thought it even more often, so it's nothing new to her or anything hard to admit. "Father - our creator, Rozen -" She shudders briefly, though that part goes unexplained. "- He created each of us as an attempt to create the perfect girl, Alice. Seven dolls resulted: myself, Kanaria, Suiseiseki, Souseiseki, Shinku, Hina-Ichigo, and … a seventh that none of us have yet met. We were named for our creator, thus: Rozen Maidens. Yet he still desired the perfect girl, and thus, we were to fight the Alice Game. The … original method was to fight and kill each of the other sisters, until one doll had all seven Rosa Mysticas, the forces that give us each life."
The doll shudders yet another time, but goes on. "Suiseiseki and I received roughly the same letter: Father said that he had picked me … and in Suiseiseki's letter, picked her… to become Alice. That we were worthy. That we could finally become what he wanted all along. … But it was a trap, as is … as is obvious now." Her grip tightens around her legs. That's about all she's going to say on her own just yet.

Snake nods softly. "I see." He uncrosses his leg, leaving both flat on the floor. "My letter was from my brother, Liquid. I've killed him too, by the way. Twice." He shakes his head. "Out of all my 'brothers', Liquid's the worst. Solidus has delusions of grandeur and a megalomaniacal streak a mile wide, but at least he's got a noble intention deep down in there. Liquid… he's out to prove to the world, everyone in it, and probably himself that he's better than me or Big Boss. He's a lunatic." Snake lets his head lean back a bit, closing his eyes. "The bastard is also more like me than I care to admit. He saw it in me. I'm a born killer. The only time I feel truly alive is when I'm staring death in the face. I thrive on the battlefield. The thing that's been bugging me since I got to this town is the question of whether or not I've got any right to lead anyone with all this blood on my hands."

Suigintou lets Snake take over talking for now without the slightest complaint or resistance. It's a weight off her shoulders, however small on the scale of things. But… Things just keep hitting too close. Too close to her own life, too close to /herself/, and altogether too close for comfort. She buries her face against her knees as yet more memories are dragged up in her mind, along with their connections and implications for more recent things.
Again she's not talking. There are too many things she doesn't want to say.

Snake notes Suigintou's silence for the moment, and then continues on. "What you heard Jack say earlier… about using what I know." He lets out a breath. "An old war buddy of mine told me that originally, right before giving his life to give me a shot at saving the world. He told me 'War might have been the only thing I was good at. But at least I always fought for what I believed in.'" Snake ends up leaning back in his chair again finally, lacing his hands behind his head. "I'm here, where I am in life right now, because I have skills. Fighting's all I'm really good at. So I fight for something worthwhile." He turns to look at 'Tou again. "You're worried about what you're not, from what I've seen. You should take a step back and think for a moment about what you are. I think you might be a little surprised."

Yet again the first Rozen Maiden allows Snake to speak uninterrupted. She's listening - something a bit easier once the subject shifts towards Jack, and the relevance of what he said. It's the ideas he states regarding her, however, that makes her look back towards him again. She regards him seriously, lacking anger or the earlier desire to avoid things. … Part of that desire, anyway. What's important is that she genuinely considers what he suggests.
Her head turns back, staring down towards her knees, though she does not bury her face. She's thinking still.
Finally she stands. "I have lived for two hundred some years. For the great majority of that time, my thoughts and opinions on life in general, how things were, what I needed to do - they were all unchanging. It will take more thought to change them now." She glances out the corner of her eye at Snake, then steps towards the door. No, she's not opening it just yet- it's more as if she's waiting for something.

"That's fine," Snake replies. "The fact you're willing to try says a lot all on its own." He finally moves to stand up, crossing his arms over his chest. "I meant what I've been saying for the past few days. I intend to get all of you out of here, alive. But I can't do it on my own. None of us can. Once we're out of here, you can refuse to speak to me ever again and I probably wouldn't blame you. But until I do…" He fixes Suigintou with a direct look. And an open one, at that. He's making an honest request. "I need you to trust me."
Snake adds, "I'm not asking you to tell me anything else tonight. Just… trust my judgement."

The first doll's head turns more fully towards Snake, craning up as well, so as to look at his face. She's only three feet tall, you know. Again she falls into silent consideration. Her head tilts a touch lower, leaving her to stare somewhere around his chest region as she thinks. Trust always has been one of those harder issues for her. Her hesitation alone should show that. But she looks back up again, making sure to meet his gaze no matter how awkward the size difference makes it. She nods faintly. It may not be much, but it is something.

Snake gives a slight nod. "Alright." He turns toward the table he's set his stuff on, and takes up the bandana to start tying around his head. "You should probably try and get some sleep," he says casually. "It's been a hell of a day, and tomorrow will probably be just as rough. If nothing comes up, we'll need to head out and find a way out of the town."

"Very well." She speaks at last! Now is when Suigintou not only turns back to the door, but reaches up, - floating up if necessary - turns the handle, and opens it. Link and Suiseiseki are spared a brief glance in passing. Their conversation isn't her concern for now, though. She heads to her case and climbs in, following by a quiet 'click' of the lock once it's closed.

A minute or two after Suigintou has settled into her case, Snake steps out of the room as well, closing it behind himself. He's got the bandana and SES back on, and his assault rifle in his hands, but he looks… well, fairly calm. The calmest he's seemed since they've been here. He gives Link a nod, and then starts walking, casually patrolling the church in that way he's prone to.

Side Scene Link and Desu

So Snake and Tou have gone off on their own huh… Link, who's been studying the book from earlier, slams the volume shut with a disgusted sigh and flops back on the pew, head lolling down into the aisle… where he notices, albeit upside down from his awkard angle, Suiseiseki. Pushing himself back up, Link's lips twist in perplexion to one side of his face. Abrubtly he stands up and makes his way to Suiseiseki, plopping down near her with the book in hand. "Hey, Suiseiseki.. are you alright?"

"Mnff…" She had been off. Lost in her own world of internal reflections and that nagging voice. At least until the funnygreenhat elf Link showed up. Slowly peeking up from between her fingers, picking her head up to better crane and look up at the taller Hylian- who makes her life easier by settling down more to her level. "H-huh… What? I'm awake~desu." She mumbles.
It clear from the fatigued look- the almost faint wear on her porcelain features that hints she hasn't been sleeping at all despite looking like she was OUT of it.

Link offers Suiseiseki a warm, friendly, if hesitant smile… "Sorry, I didn't mean to bug you. How are you feeling? This place… it's hard on all of us." He leans back slightly, frowning… sad doll girl. Cute, but sad… not fun at all. What could he do to cheer her up?

The smile is met with a slow, exhausted blink, christmas eyes barely focusing on the Hylian. It's mostly exhaustion, but she rubs slowly at the mismatched gems faintly. "Nein~desu." She mutters. "Not bugging~desu." It's a stretch, sure, he did disrupt her internal monologing but maybe someone else to speak to would be for the better, anyway.
"Suiseiseki is- … Fine~desu." Bald faced lie as it is, she's at least trying to keep up the look of holding on to hope and sanity.

Link affixes Suiseiseki with a frown. "You don't look that okay to me." Another sigh escapes his lips as he pulls his legs in, leaning back to look at the ceiling. "… I'm not."

So the funnygreenhat elf isn't okay? Well that makes her life a bit easier. If someone can actually admit it. There's a slight shuffle, the light sound of tiny shoes against leather as she picks her feet up off the floor and onto the case, hugging her knees to her chest. "Y-yeah~desu? Well maybe- Link can talk to Suiseiseki about it, yes?"

A minute or two after Suigintou has settled into her case, Snake steps out of the room as well, closing it behind himself. He's got the bandana and SES back on, and his assault rifle in his hands, but he looks… well, fairly calm. The calmest he's seemed since they've been here. He gives Link a nod, and then starts walking, casually patrolling the church in that way he's prone to.

"Heh… Maybe! I don't know what to say though…" He flops forwards again, much like a kid despite being oh so obviously adult (by his world's standards he's come of age at least!) "I'm supposed to be a hero back home. Nobody would remember, but now everything I did's undone again because I went looking for a friend and never found them… it's even worse now because the problems can't just be undone by going back in time." He grks, then shakes his head almost goofily. "Ah, sorry, none of this probably makes any sense, does it?"

A hero? Well it takes all sorts, and anything is possible after spending just about a year in the Multiverse now. But even still, staring down and talking to a real life hero? Red-green eyes narrow slightly as she eyes him. Everything done- undone- done and undone again- it breaks he logic- his explanation clearly going over the exhausted Rozen's hea. "Err… Nein~desu." She admits honestly.
A slowwww tilt and she flops onto her side on the case, rolling a bit onto her chest to match the Hylian Hero. "A hero huh~desu… So- … Tell Suiseiseki a story, yes?" Anything to get her mind off the nightmare of the world outside the church sounds good about now.

I still can't figure this place out. It sends this terrifying shit at us, but at the same time it hands me someone who reminds me of everything I've done right in life. I'm pretty sure now that's what he was here for, too. No way he could come up with what Gray Fox said like that. Not when he looks just like Big Boss… and not when it hit so close to home. He's right. I can't let this shit get to me. I know I'm a killer. But at least I'm killing for a good cause. Protecting what's important. Who's important. That's something I can't afford to lose sight of in a fog of self doubt. He went down fighting for something worthwhile. And I can't think of a finer way to go.

I didn't get out of Suigintou what was really bothering her, but I don't think I'll need to. Pretty sure she'll pull through all right, now that she's opened up a little. We'll see.

Link's over talking to Suiseiseki… maybe I won't have to. Have to check on her later when my circuit brings me back around. Him too, probably. He looks like he's holding up all right, but I should make sure. I think I'll let them be for now, though. Probably ought to check on Sinclair and his group for the time being. I don't know if they can even exist outside of this place, but… well, hell. My job to keep an eye on everyone, isn't it?

After all, a fighter fights hardest when he's got something, or someone, to fight for.

Things like that should be certain and easy to answer. That man, Solid Snake - he asked me to think like that, to ask that of myself. To phrase it like that specifically, and focus on it, instead of on what I'm not.

I'm not junk. I'm not going to change that thought for anything. I am also not…

… not what brought me here. Two hundred years is a long time to dwell on not being that, but when I was created as a failed attempt at that, what am I to do? So much of life has been about that. What I'm not, or what others claim I'm not, fighting to become or prove that I am that- or alternately, fighting to prove I'm not what they say I am.

I came here for the sake of becoming what I'm not.

But if I push that away, and focus on what I already am, what does that leave? Two hundred years of focusing the way I have makes it harder to answer than it should be.

Maybe that man's wiser than what I first took him for.

Maybe trying to think this way might make things easier.

Oh how lovely. The picture on the back cover. Complete with that pyramidal headed freak on it. There's yet another shuffle, slowly edgeing away from the book- the image- the executioner, trying to focus her attention fully on Link. Despite being not-good at storytelling he's at least distracting her. But that last line… Right all the wrongs in the world. Feel good to see people happy.
"… Is that true~desu?" Oh how she's like to believe. Even with the final note- about how more shit just keeps hitting the fan. Not Link's exact words really, but the Third Rozen falls silent, back to her contemplation. "Suiseiseki- … Suiseiseki is gonna try to get a little sleep~desu…" She mumbles decisively. Perhaps that's something she can try to think about another time.

It's been most of a day since the terrifying events of last night, and Sinclair seems at least a fair bit more stable than usual. At least fit enough to be up and about, since he went down to the diner about half an hour ago with his rifle to pick up some food for them all to eat in the church. Dark Silent Hill had not yet shown up since last night, and no air raid sirens or static!

Suddenly the doors to the church burst open as Sinclair runs in, "There's a hole in the fog! There ain't been one in nearly a decade, but there's one now on the road, bought two miles past the diner. You can see the sun shining through it."

Snake has been patrolling, per usual. The plan once Sinclair got back was for Snake to go out with 'Tou and whoever else felt likejoining, and hunt for some clues on how to get out of here.

But Sinclair's announcement pushes things up from 'find a way out' to 'get the hell out'. He looks around at everyone, and nods once. "Alright, people, you heard the man. Time to get the hell out of here. You have two minutes to grab anything you're not leavin' behind!" His gaze then turns to Sinclair. "Are you and the family coming?" he asks simply.

Sinclair nods to snake firmly.

"Leaving and not coming back without a darn good reason!" Link announces the next instant, clamping the book he'd been reading shut and stuffing it away. Presumably Snake had gotten a chance to read 'Silent Hill: A History,' though Link had decided to read it again. Either way, it's stuffed back into his inventory… however he does that.

Even so, it's a grumpy looking Link that arises and dashes over to SInclair. He'd been near Suiseiseki and her case… "This town's caused enough trouble."

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "I want everyone to be on guard. If this town's giving us a way out, I get the sneaking suspicion it's gonna make us work for it."

Suigintou has been absorbed in thought for much of today. Her perches have varied - windowsills, pews, on or in her case - but socializing hasn't been big on her agenda. That's why, when Sinclair bursts in, it's as if her own mind has been pulled out of a fog back to the present. She turns to face him, looking a bit startled. "A hole…?" Somehow she's not enthusiastic as she should be.
She heads over to her case, opens it, and takes a seat inside. It rises up into the air like some weird makeshift flying vehicle. Not another word leaves her mouth, and she seems to sink back into her haze of thought.

Sleep is a hell of a thing. And after being up most of the night just staring at the inside walls of her case, it was a wonder she was able to shut her eyes. Soon enough though the third maiden was out. BUT the open slam of the church door was enough, and the dollcase in the corner of the church SWINGS open, the green-clad doll already planting one foot on the edge and gripping her watering can as though under attack!
Quickly enough she relaxes though, red-green eyes registering… Link was by her case? And Snake and Suigintou are up to. Quickly enough her case rises as well, zipping to float over. "R-really~desu?! We can leave~yes?!"

The road outside of the church is clear, though Sinclair and the family may slow the group down a bit as the wife and daughter support the father as they begin to hobble towards the doors of the church, "We'll be leaving here with you guys. Ah reckon' it's time for us to find a new home."

Voice in your head: Are you just going to leave it unfinished?" (to Suigintou.)

Snake gives a slight nod at that, moving over to the door and holding it open. He sweeps around with his rifle quickly, then turns toward the Davidson family. "I'm the Field Marshal of a large national military. We'll make sure you get a good home and get back on your feet." He glances back outside once, then adds, "It's all clear. Time to move, folks."

<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Huh.. looks like a fog might be rolling in. Wish this damn sheriff would get me a blanket."
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "Got any useful discoveries under your belt so far, Psyber?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Nah, just that the sheriff likes to eat pie all day."
<X-Union-Chatter> Karen says, "What sheriff?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Terry McGinnis says, "You know, either I or Karen could come and get you out Psyber."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Oh, yeah. The town our three elites went missing in. I punched the sheriff so he'd arrest me. That way I can sit here and watch the town."
<X-Union-Chatter> Squeaks and squeals, Bugslayer says, "<I was made a sergeant after working for it, Zombie-hunter Stadler. I earned the rank.>"
<X-Union-Chatter> Richard Stadler says, "Excellent. Though you sound more like an officer."
<X-Union-Chatter> Minerva laughs. "That is… so incredibly you, Psyber."
<X-Union-Chatter> Warbling synthesized voice, Hatsune Miku transmits a bluesy yet computer synthesized harmonica, "Psyb~errr's in jail~" Dananana "Ohhh Psyb~er's in jaaaa~iiil~c/‘"
<X-Union-Chatter> Yutaro deadpan or serious, "…A clever plan."
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "If there’s nothing further to report by tomorrow, we're getting you out of there."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Right-o."
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "He was gonna let me out today, but I made a beeping noise as he backed up."
<X-Union-Chatter> Minerva says, "Small towns… people keep their secrets there from outsiders. If anything, with big secrets and mysteries, I'd reccomend more caution in small towns than big cities. Big cities, no one cares to know, but small towns where one person's busness is everyone's busness… you know?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Psyber says, "Nah, I think this place is just genuinely stupid."
<X-Union-Chatter> Winry Rockbell says, "Yeah. Resembool is a little like that, Mina - friendly with each other, wary about outsiders."

Just after Snake speaks, Link offers his own input. "And if you want, I'm sure Princes Zelda could find you a home in Hyrule!" The family gets a sheepish smile, particularly Milly, as Link withdraws the Master Sword from its sheathe and about-faces to look down the road. "That might be a bit weird, since Milly looks just like someone there I know…"
The Hylian scans all about… the skies, the alleys, the road, the church behind… then looks over at the path one brave man took to stop Pyramid Head and never returned from… "…. we really don't have any time to make a proper grave for him…"

That's it? No fog? No mist? No monsters or darkness? Not even that air raid siren? It's almost too good to be true. Taking up her spot to hide behind and use Link as a shiel- errr… Her spot in formation, Suiseiseki grips her watering can, ready for anything- ready to slam her case back shut and hide.

Suigintou's case floats steadily forward, behind all the others. She looks to each of them even as she thinks… Then she stops. Her head tilts down a little. She stares at the floor like that, expression showing uncertainty. There's definitely something still on her mind. Suddenly, her eyes open wider as if something's struck her. Then… her entire face sets with determination.
She looks up. None of the others take her attention - not the ones she came in with, nor any of the family they found. It's a window. A stained glass window. The doll flops down onto her side within her case, pulls the lid shut, and without warning, sails up and /through/ that window with a shattering crash. She doesn't stop, either - the case just keeps on flying, notably in the opposite direction of where the hole in the fog was said to be.

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou CRASH.
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…Suigintou, what're you doing?!"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "There is something I have left to do."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…You're coming back, right?"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "… I intend to."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…Alright. We'll hold the 'door' as long as we can."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "/Go/. This is something I must do on my own; I will not have you staying back for something you're not involved in."

And as Tou darts out the window, leaving her group.. her friends behind… her selfishness… her sin, the town once more changes. There's that sunlight clearly visible down the road, then there's the way Suigintou goes. And then… the air raid siren goes off and the town immediately shifts to a bloodier motiff. Almost directly out in front of the doll it marches, spear gripped in hand as it points it at her in a judgemental manner.
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Air raid Siren…
<8-Supplemental> Pyramid Head | Static…
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake swears.

It stood, in the mist, Red Helmet watching those four as they prepared to dash for the exit… no… those eight. It's breath hissed and echoed in the helmet it wore and its hand gripped the spear tightly. Three of them had learned… but there was still one. One of them was a sinner. It's brother had been killed, but it still lived. Because of her, it was allowed to live on.

She may yet save herself, may yet learn. Had she… could she? Would she? And then, out the side window of the the girl breaks, white hair flowing as she jets away.

It tightens its grip on the spear in its hand. In the distance, an air raid siren goes off. It thinks for a second… it judges.

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou, firmly, "No I am not."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…you heard her, people. Let's move it."
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki says, "N-nein~desu."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou, faltering, "… W-what…?"
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki says, "Suiseiseki is NOT leaving~desu. Because if something happened to Suigintou on Suiseiseki's watch then Psyber would be sad~desu- and Suiseiseki would NEVER hear the end of it, no she would not~desu!"

Voice: Could you BE more selfish? Think about someone beside yourself for once!" (to Suigintou.)

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…Guess I'm not the only one staying behind, then."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou, quietly, "But I am-" Louder, "GO. This Pyramid Head is my own to deal with! You have a chance to leave, now TAKE IT!"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Why do you need to deal with it at all?! That thing's…"
<8-Supplemental> Suiseiseki firmly, "Nein.~De.Su."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake, simply, "You're her sister, Suigintou. Even if you two hate each other… if she wants to stay back and wait, I'm not gonna stop her."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou swears.
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "…you're starting to sound like me."
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "I am not you! I am not anyone but myself! Isn't that what you wanted me to think about? That's why I'm doing this! I have to prove what I am to myself!"
<8-Supplemental> Link suddenly blurts, "You've got no reason to worry about that thing. It's… it's in your head. In all our heads!"
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "You're also someone who people care about. Someone people would miss if you disappeared."
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Don't be so self-centered! It's- ah, what…."
<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "And I'm someone who refuses to leave a single person behind. I'm not going through that hole until everyone else has."

Voice in your head: Yes! You have all the pieces! Put them together! Prove to yourself that you're not a fool!" (to Link.)
Voice in your head: Don't stop now! You have it! You can save her!" (to Link.)

<Comm Signals> Solid Snake, shortly after the others, "And -KSSSSH-one who ref-KSSSSSH- a single per-KSSSSH-ind. I'm not -KSSSSH- that hole until -KSSSSH- else -KSSSSSSH-"

<Union-IC> Isamu Dyson |Lucy "And another, are they getting more frequent?"
<Union-IC> Psyber says, "Usually one per day around the same time."
<Union-IC> Winry Rockbell says, "I'll be in the standby room."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "maybe whatever's keeping them from contacting us is weakening."
<Union-IC> Winry Rockbell says, "If we get enough of a bearing to scramble a rescue mission, I'll be ready."

Which should Link do… guard the others, or go after Suigintou? But the more he looks about and sees shifting, and the horrible timin it has… what caused it? "Suigintou, come ba-" Then he freezes right where he stands, shifting to CODEC communication while nodding at the family in a signal to pause for a moment…

"Oh HELL no~desu!" We are LEAVING Suigintou, where do you think you're going? It's right after the first Maiden bolts off that red-green eyes watch- if only for a moment. A slow blink of confusion as the silver-haired doll closes her case and sails through a window. That's… That's Suiseiseki's schtick! That's for one. But just where is her sister heade off to?
There's only one way to find out as her case is the next to shut. "You've gotta be KIDDING me~desu!" It's settled already as Jade Stern's case follows in hot pursuit!

Snake swears. The conversation on-radio holds his attention for a few moments, and then he looks up at the Sinclairs, his face grim. "I want all of you to head for the hole. We've got something we've gotta do. You three take care." He fishes around in one of his gear pouches for a moment, and pulls out a small Union sigil, handing it over to Sinclair. "Take this. If the four of us don't make it out by the time the hole closes, get in touch with the Union Armed Forces, and show it to them. They'll take care of you." He looks to Suiseiseki, and then Link, nodding once to each. "If I can't talk the two of you out of it, the let's move!"

And just like that, Snake is charging around the church, working to catch up fast.

Further away from the church, Suigintou pushes the lid of her case back open and sits up. Her head turns, searching… But she hardly has to at all. Her target's headed right for her: Pyramid Head. Just as determined as earlier, though with an automatic note of fear struck through her at the sight, she keeps going straight for it. Twice she falters, each making her eyes open wider, even as she shouts into her radio for the others to go ahead.
But they're not listening… So she'll have to go on anyway.
"I /am/ thinking about them!" she argues out at the thing. "Why do you think I'm doing this? This- You- I- it's something about me that- But not them! They have a chance, why shouldn't they take it?!"

Link makes up his mind. Out comes the longshot which he fires at the broken windowframe. YOOOOINK! The slinky-chink of the springloaded chain retracting echoes down the street, and at the last second Link yanks the hook clear whilst keeping his momentum… hence, he's flying right into the church. He hits the ground tumbling about wildly, but manages to whirl up to his feet, stuff the thing away and unsheathe his sword once more. "I'm… I've had enough of things going wrong… enough of people being hurt and not being able to do something about it. You're not taking that thing on alone!" Link assumes a simple combat stance a bit behind Suigintou, focusing on Pyramid Head with a careful gaze as if REALLY unsure what to make of him…

The Pyramid Head stares at her coldly, unanswering as he tilts its head slightly. The grip on that spear tightens up before it takes a step towards the doll, feet shuffling across the ground as it raises that spear high above its head and brings it down towards Suigintou like a massive club.
Pyramid Head hit Suigintou with its Admit your Sin! moderate attack! <Experimental>

Voice in your head:Because they're NOT SELFISH! They WANT TO HELP!" (to Suigintou.)

Snake comes wheeling around the corner, and skids to a stop when he sees Suigintou and the Pyramid Head. "You have a chance too!" Snake yells. "You're not helping anyone by throwing yourself away when you don't have to!" The FAMAS, for once, is gone - in Snake's hands is a longer weapon: the PSG-1 Sniper Rifle. Pyramid Head doesn't seem to mind taking direct body shots. So if pain can't stop him, then maybe crippling will.

Snake centers the back of Pyramid Head's ankle in the crosshairs, and squeezes the trigger.

<Union-IC> Nayru very quietly, sounding a bit disturbed, "Silence falls over blood-soaked hills…"
<Union-IC> Winry Rockbell says, "… what was that again, Nayru?"
<Union-IC> Isamu Dyson |Lucy "What was that?"
<Union-IC> Nayru says, "Silence falls over blood-soaked hills… I've been trying to see what's happened to those four, but that's al I could understand."
<Union-IC> Isamu Dyson |Lucy "I could try searching for the phrase."
<Union-IC> Winry Rockbell says, "… please do."
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "So, we're looking for a group of silent hills?"
<Union-IC> Isamu Dyson |Lucy "…no, no referances anywhere."
<Union-IC> John Blade says, "Assuming it to be literal in any sense, we're looking for bloody hills becoming silent."
<Union-IC> Winry Rockbell says, "'Blood-soaked' could refer to any number of tragedies …"
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "or code for a place name. after all, my home town is called 'the pass of the north', el paso del norte, and has been shortened to El Paso over the years to the point where the rest of it is left off…"

Suigintou shakes her head. Her confidence is fading, showing in her hesitant words. She keeps arguing anyway. "But- But they didn't cause- Ah!" The spear hits her right in the shoulder. It knocks her out of the air, as well, causing her to land with a thump and a clatter. She rises back into the air, but she leaves her case where it is. "I'm not going to…"
There's one of the others. She flicks a glance at Snake, frowning, but quickly looks back to Pyramid Head. "I'm not! I /told/ you, I need to deal with this! Go already!" In attempt to hinder them, her wings grow out to her sides, like a long feathery wall between them and the so-called executioner. So too do feathers shoot out from them.
"What do you want me for?!" she shouts at it.

Suigintou hit Pyramid Head with her Feathers~ moderate attack! <Experimental>

<Union-IC> Iianor says, "Bloodsoaked could refer to wartorn, sites of tragedy, areas where massive loss of life occurred, it could even mean that there's a heartspring, or an overabundance of some red chemical, or a mineral that makes the water turn red. There could even be a spring that spouts literal blood… …Though that would be a bit more disgusting then usual."
<Union-IC> Nayru says, "But the phrase 'silence falls…'"
<Union-IC> Nayru says, "Something important is happening, or happened…"
<Union-IC> Minerva says, "dosen't that imply that the bloodshed's stopped, because there's no one left to scream?"
<Union-IC> John Blade says, "Waterfalls."
<Union-IC> Nayru says, "No, it could also mean it as in 'the calm before the storm.'"

<8-Supplemental> Link says, "No, you don't need to deal with it!"
<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Grgh… I don't have the words for this…"

Voice: She's selfish for not letting you help! Tell her!" to Link.

<8-Supplemental> Link says, "You're being selfish! Don't take on everything yourself when there's friends willing to help!"
<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "No, no, I'm not- I didn't- Go already! Don't you have a way out of this?! You didn't- If I'm the one who- Just, just GO ALREADY! LEAVE! LET ME DO THIS!"

She said she wasn't going to leave Suigintou. Sure. Mercury Lampe and she were never on the best of terms, and it's on the speedy as hell trip over that Suiseiseki ponders her actions. This is the doll that killed her sister right before her eyes. … Also the same doll that saved Lapis because Suiseiseki was so wrought about it…
She's also her sister.
Gritting her teeth as she's torn by mixed emotions, there's only one thing left to do. Suiseiseki said she was staying to help. Suiseiseki is going to help even if Suigintou doesn't want it.
A loud POP calls out as the third doll's case pops right open, leaping into the fray as the first doll takes the brunt of the spear's haft smacking her. With Snake shooting at it's ankle, and the black feathers sail forth, the leather case slingshots around to try and get behind the red triangle, one foot setting on the edge of her case as she coils… And then Suiseiseki leaps.
Shifting her weight in the air to fly foot-first, her feet press together, aiming a solid flying DROPKICK for the executioner's back to knock him even harder into everyone else's assault!

"Suigintou is stupid if she thinks we're just gonna leave her behind~desu- and Suiseiseki swears to Father, I'mma kick her ass if the tells us to leave again~desu!"

"Heading off to face this alone… if something happens to you, how are the rest of us, who've been trying so hard to keep each other safe, will feel?!" Link stuffs the Master Sword away, having changed his mind, and instead draws forth a blade as long as he istall, the mighty Biggoron Sword, giving up any pretense of real defense in doing so…

"This thing's… it's… it's in our heads. The town's like something I know all too well… this town reflects what's in our hearts. Hasn't it thrown darkness at us whenever something awful was happening… either you leaving us or Milly about to do something unthinkable… it's been peaceful for how long now…? All until WE came here! We're the reason everything changed!"

Link throws himself straight at Pyramid Head, bringing the Biggoron Sword down in a mighty leap slash to drag it along the helmet and maybe scrape at his torso!

Link hit Pyramid Head with his TEEEEEEEEEYAAAAH!!! strong attack! <Experimental>

<OOC> Solid Snake> Guy Shishio nods approvingly!

And such, the brutal assault on Pyramid Head begins! The first thing to happen is the immobilization via a shot to the back of the ankle, causing that leg to jerk up heavily and the next time the Pyramid head shuffles towards Suintou, its with a pronounced limp. The next think is the wave of feathers that begin to coat the front of his body, turning that while chest… black and red. He jerks forward at the Desu~ Rider Kick to the back, stumbling forward into the swordlash from the Hylian.

However, despite all this, his target remains the same. That spear arm jerks back before thrust forward, that Spear of his seeking to puncture the wings and head right for Tou's chest. A stab in the dark.

Pyramid Head hit Suigintou with its STAAAAAB! strong attack! <Experimental>

<8-Supplemental> Solid Snake says, "Suigintou, come *ON*! We don't have to deal with this thing! We can *leave* it here! There's someone waiting for you outside this town, but if you stay here he's not going to see you again!"

<Union-IC> Yutaro says, "…Mm."

Snake's face remains grim; the shot had an effect, but not enough of one. He swings the rifle's barrel just a hair to one side, dropping to one knee where he stands; a moment is taken to steady his aim as much as he can, and then Snake fires another crippling shot, right at Pyramid Head's other ankle.

"No, no, no, NO!" screams out Suigintou, not at something in particular, but at /everything/. Her eyes flick this way and that, watching as the others work around her to fight. Even Suiseiseki, of all people. It's odd to see her sister working so determinedly to bring her back safe and sound with everyone else. Any sister would have that effect, but Suiseiseki especially - though she doesn't beat Shinku.
And all these words being shouted… It's hard to organize everything within her mind as more and more thoughts try to shove themselves to the forefront. All she can do when Pyramid Head comes at her is to take the blow with her wings. They swing out into a protective arc in front of her, while her body lowers just a little in the air. The spear point misses her chest… but it rips painfully through her wings and scratches across her shoulder.
"GO ALREADY!" she screams out. In the meanwhile, her wings work, growing and twisting around the spear that still pokes through them. The aim is to hold it still - or at least keep it from stabbing at vitals. Another wave of feathers, fiercer than before, fire out. "I have to deal with this! /You/ don't have to! Go already, go, leave! If I don't- If I don't do this, then I can't return! I have to! It's something I have to do for myself!"

Suigintou hit Pyramid Head with her Pyramid Head? More like Pincushion Head! strong attack! <Experimental>

<8-Supplemental> Suigintou says, "I have to deal with this! /You/ don't have to! Go already, go, leave! If I don't- If I don't do this, then I can't return! I have to! It's something I have to do for myself!"

<Union-IC> Psyber says, "If we knew where they were, we really wouldn't be having this issue, would we?"

RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'That thing's… I was almost right earlier. Suiseiseki was more right! It's an Executioner… a punisher!'
RADIO: Solid Snake radios: …It only showed up when she decided to go off on her own…!
RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'And when Milly was…'
RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'But even then, knocking the bell down? It didn't have to do that. It wanted us to hear that… it was just standing there!'
RADIO: Solid Snake radios: …you're saying this place… it *wants* us to fix things?
RADIO: You radio Solid Snake with 'In the most brutal way possible, but… I think that might be it.'

Man. Here's Suiseiseki. Out of the pure unbridled awesome kindness of her heart for someone she's got this sort of… You know, grudge thing, for. And Suigintou can't even accept it?
That's vexing. Annoying too. Aggravating even more as the red-helmeted fiend attacks the first and only the first doll. Suiseiseki swings around. A sprinkle of water from her watering can at the behemoth's feet. An attempt to make the the plantlife grow up under the executioner and tangle him up.
It's in the meantime though… That she actually attempts to get up behind Suigintou… And clock her harshly upside the head.
"What the hell is wrong with you~desu?”

Suiseiseki hit Pyramid Head with her You hold on a sec, I need to have a chat with my sister. stun attack! <Experimental>
Suiseiseki missed Suigintou with her Bitch get some sense in yo' head~desu! tag attack! (Experimental)

Link wrings his hands out… THAT was smarts, whatever Pyramid Head's helmet was made out of. He immediately LEAPs backwards in an impressive acrobatic display and lands a good five feet away, but ready to run in. "Don't be an idiot, Suigintou! We're -NOT- leaving without you!" He hesitates before attacking this time… his eyes have narrowsed quite a bit, like something's troubling him… "It's only after you…! All this time, it's only been after…!"

Those kind and noble blue eyes of Link's widen and he runs STRAIGHT back towards Pyramid Head. He had to fight, and find the right words for this somehow! A hoarse and hotblooded scream accompanies the few hops he takes to get in close as mystical energy crackles and sparks into the Biggoron Sword. When he lands, it's RIGHT in front of the thing, directly in Tou's way… "Don't you see why this thing's even HERE?!" The energy reaches a peak, and Link lets it fly as he spins in place with his trademark attack. HURRICANE BLADE!! Waves of mystical force whirl out from the blade just as the bastard sword itself poses a dangerous threat. "SKaaaayYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Link hit Pyramid Head with his KAITENGIRI epic attack! <Experimental>

Different Voice in your head: You don't need them! It's always been you against the world! YOU DON'T NEED THEM" (to Suigintou.)

The wave of feathers hits the Pyramid head dead on, having no way to avoid it. And the wings keep that spear in place! The feathers cut deep into his chest, causing no small amount of blood to drip out. As Snake takes a second shot at him, he lifts and shifts his foot, the bullet hitting the pavement to the side of him. Still he stares at Suigintou all this time. And even as those vines wrap around his legs, and then Link gets in between him and Suigintou, he still stares at her. And as Link hits him with that mighty attack, an attack that tears up his front with that mighty thrust, he hardly budges an inch despite the obvious damage it does.

Finally, with a mighty heave, he lifts up with the spear, seeking to swing Tou, wings and all, up over his head and slam her back into the ground.

Pyramid Head missed Suigintou with its strong attack! (Experimental)

Snake narrows his eyes. Feet are too hard of a target…

So let's try the shoulder. He can't bring that strength of his to bear if his shoulder is torn up. "Why do you have to deal with this? *WHY*?! Why can't you just let it go and leave?"
Solid Snake hit Pyramid Head with his Sniper Shot (I have nothing else I can think of to do. D:) strong attack! <Experimental>

Suigintou manages to avoid both Suiseiseki and Pyramid Head. She leans forward, just missing the younger doll's strike, then quickly flies back - pulling her wings along with some pain and effort - freeing herself from the spear and just in time to keep from being smacked into the earth. Said wings shrink back down to normal size as she rises up. She doesn't go into the fog, already knowing that a tactic like that is useless, but simply raises somewhere between it and the others gathered.
"I know it's only after me!" she yells to Link in particular. She flashes a glare at Suiseiseki. As unsafe as it is to ignore Pyramid Head for long, however, she turns to more fully face it even as she makes her arguments. "And that's why you should leave! It's not after you - it's my problem. It's something I have to face on my own! I don't need any help! It's not your place or your responsibility or anything you caused or anything at all like that. /You/ can leave but /I/ can't until this is done with!"
Another burst of feathers shoots out towards Pyramid Head.
Suigintou hit Pyramid Head with her Feathers, blah blah, you know the drill. strong attack! <Experimental>

Voice in your head: Sure, you SAY you think of them… but do you?"
Voice in your head:I mean, really, do you? All this.. fighting alone.,.. doing it /YOUR/ way, not /THEIR/ Way. Listen to yourself, little girl."
Voice in your head: *mimics your voice* It's something I have to face on my own!"
Voice in your head: Where in there did you ever think about what THEY wanted?"
Voice in your Head: Sheesh, this is why no one lets you have nice things. Why it's always been hard for you! YOU MAKE IT HARD FOR YOURSELF!" (All to Suigintou)

"Gh…!" Every blow Link landed on the thing meant very little to it… he was starting to realize that. But he KNEW it had to have a breaking point, or a weakness.. unless it was really what he thought it is… "What are you talking about? All of us are here to help you because we're friends… a team! Your problem's our problem!" The Hylian leaps in again with a flurry of blows, panting by now to try and hold the creature off, make it FLINCH, anything… hoping he'd have some luck!

"Hasn't this thing been after only whoever's making horrible choices…?!" Link executes a neat backflip to land near Suigintou, finally … finally, somehow, smiling with that bright face he'd been known to almost alwayswear… a face that hadn't been seen since he got here. He then yells right at the top of his life, "Be brave and… STOP being so selfish! Pull away from it, and just come back with us! That's what this thing's -PUNISHING- you for! Do you want to get back to see Psyber, that man who looks so much like Sinclair or not? Do you want to get out of here and see him, or stay here and fight all by yourself?! What would he think if he saw this right now? Wouldn't he want you to get back safe too?!"

Link charges straight for Pyramid Head, sheathing the Biggoron Sword away somewhere in favor of the Master Sword which be brings down for Pyramid Head's spear arm in a flurry of blows to try and keep him busy and unable to swing it… if he can!

Link hit Pyramid Head with his IN YOUR FAAAAAACE! strong attack! <Experimental>

<8-Supplemental> Link says, "Let go of it all, Suigintou! Be brave and just leave the thing alone. Isn't all of us getting out of here together… worth a lot more than facing Pyramid Head alone?"

Suigintou is getting more desperate. Convincing everyone is a lot more difficult than she thought it would be, let alone wanted it to be. The logic worked /fine/ in her head. Why everyone else can't understand has been largely beyond her. Which, in turn, is why everything else has been beating it into her. Pyramid Head's continued presence… The others' determination to fight and bring her back, without giving up on her at all… Even the voice in her head won't let up.
That's what makes her stop. She freezes in mid-air, eyes staring blankly as if they aren't focused on anything actually here. "But… But I am," she says, quieter than her yells from only moments ago. Slowly she begins to shake her head. "I /am/ thinking about- I- Don't they want out?! Why should I make them…" She trails off.
Link's questions only add on further to it all, driving it in, bringing up more and more points against her stubborn way of thinking. "Friends…? But I'm the one- ! I'm not making horrible choices, or being selfish, or, or- I don't need to be punished! I'm trying to-" She shakes her head stronger, much more actively now, bringing her hands up to clutch at the sides of her head. Yet again she slips into the old German she knew before anything else. "<It's not that! It can't be! I've always thought, always done things like->"
It hits her. Finally, after all this, it hits her. As Psyber is brought up… What he would think about all this… The voice in her head, painfully pointing out all she's done wrong, how it's hindered her… Even her own words. Though she stops shaking her head, she begins to tremble as the realization about everything floods in. She floats down through the air and lands with a soft 'clack' of porcelain on concrete.
"<It's all my fault. I always… always tried to do everything on my own. I never wanted to rely on anyone else, never even thought what they would really think about any of it. I always thought too much about the uncertain goals at the end of it all… S-seeing Father after so long, becoming Alice… Seeing that copy of Psyber when that first goal failed…>" She curls forward, and her hands slide from the sides of her head to cover her face. She begins to cry. Her words, though they are half-choked out, are still audible as she goes on: "<I n-never wanted to admit my… m-my failures… I just wanted anything that c-c-came into view, even if I didn't, didn't know I could achieve it, … just to avoid that weakness. I-I gave up all that I had already gained… without ever t-truly thinking what kind of loss it was.>"

Wham! The Pyramid Head is forced to act as a sponge for even more damage from the elites. The sniper bullet rips through his free shoulder, that combined with the attack from Link forces his grip on the spear to loosen just a bit. He lurches forward from the watering can strike from Desu before he takes a few steps back to watch as Tou has her breakdown.
In a non-coded attack it swings its spear slowly so Link will get the hell away with it before it sticks the long pole in the ground, holding it vertically as it stares at Suigintou. As she has her little break down, as she finally admits it, it gives what could faintly be called a nod. Or maybe it's head is bobbing from the damage. Who knows? But…

With that spear in the ground, the Pyramid head Slams the side of his head onto the tip of it once. Then again… and then finally a third time as the spear pierces the right side of that helmet and blood begins to pour from the wound, dripping out of the helmet and down the side of the spear. The strength of the spear supports the weight of the Pyramid Head, leaving the monster in a standing position, almost eerily staring at the Elites even in death. As it dies, the town slowly reverts to Mist Hill, the only remnant of Dark Hill being the dead being standing before you.

Snake is about to take another shot. He's got the crosshairs ready, aimed right at Pyramid Head's spine, going for an absolutely crippling shot…

…when Suigintou breaks down.

Snake listens, in silence, watching. The Pyramid Head has stopped attacking. Link was right. Slowly, but surely, the PSG-1 is lowered. And Snake stands up.

"The future is a long ways away. Sometimes it's daunting to look to some far future goal. But another old friend of mine taught me something." He walks, calmly, toward Suigintou and the dead Pyramid Head, stopping somewhat short. "What's important is that you choose life. And then live. Work your way to your goals, but look at what, and who, is around you right now."

Link does indeed zip back. It's easy enough to DUCK the swing then spring back in retreat… but he's prepared to dash right back in! Until Tou has her breakdown that is… he warily backs up to get next to her, then hold out a hand in an offer to help her up. He's still got an eye on Pyramid Head as it starts to walk away… this was an AWKWARDS thing for Link to do. He's smiling… a bit goofily, and for the life of him he cannot compete with Snake where it comes to sayings, or a longwinded cheer speech… so instead, he offers the next best thing. "C'mon, let's all go home- oh geeze what the-" Naturally, that's when Pyramid Head up and KILLS itself. Link wobbles on his feet right there… he's seen monsters do bizarre things, but… that was the creepiest one ever.

Suigintou slowly, slowly starts to calm down. Hearing the spear become lodged into the ground is what finally gets her to move one hand away and tilt her head up, so she can see what the Pyramid Head does. First the nod to her… And then the bloody suicide. She takes it very easily. In fact, it's as if seeing it do what it does calms her further, just as much as it confirms that she finally understands things.
"I will live," she says once the thing is truly dead. Indeed she does take Link's hand as she climbs to her feet. "And I do think it is time we finally leave." With a small nod to Link, Snake, then even Suiseiseki, she turns and heads back to her fallen carrying case, and climbs in. "I am ready when you are."

For the purpose of expediency, there's no more resistance to you all leaving the town. The hole in the fog, when you all start moving again, is totally clear.

So right, once you walk through it with the three surviving members of Mist Hill, all of them huddled together for safety, you wind up in not Georgeton, West Virginia. You wind up, instead, thousands of miles away in an abandoned amusement park! And the name of that amusement park that is so very abandoned and run down is 'Disneyland Multiverse'. Also, by now all your comm links are working again!

Last week, a small number of Union Elites were noted to suddenly begin behaving strangely, including myself. This is because each of us recieved a letter, seemingly from a personal acquaintance of some closeness. Mine was from Liquid Snake, challenging me to settle matters with him once and for all privately. The tone sounded like his writing, but the MO was weird, so I went in with contingency plans to cover for my absence and the possibility of a trap. Unfortunately, as you all noticed, the contingency was a bit flimsy. I expected to be going solo into a trap of some kind set by Liquid Snake. But that's not what happened.

Myself, Suiseiseki, Suigintou, and Link all arrived in Georgeton at the same time. When I saw the other three were there, I knew we'd all been had, but before we could get out of there, the fog rolled in. I'm not sure how it happened, but we went from Georgeton to a ghost town called Silent Hill without really moving. And obviously, we were unable to get out. We were able to find a diner, and four living people - a man who looked exactly like Psyber, named Sinclair Davidson, his wife Milly, who looked like a woman Link informs me is named Malon, their daughter Lapis, who looks like Souseiseki, and the town sheriff, Jack Johnson, who was a dead ringer for a young Big Boss. In other words, a dead ringer for me.

Silent Hill seems to be a place that drags your insecurities kicking and screaming to the front and shoves them in your face. All of us heard whispers about things we don't care to think about too much, and when one of us hit rock bottom, the town changed, somehow. It turned into a place like hell on earth, and this big monster was summoned called 'Pyramid Head'. It was like a huge man with insane strength and a large metal pyramid helmet, and nothing we threw at it could stop it. We dealt with two of them while we were there, one spawned by one of the group, one spawned by Milly's despair over almost losing Sinclair. Sheriff Jack Johnson gave his life to stop that one, and the one spawned by our group killed itself when the member faced up with the problem that spawned it to begin with.

We spent three days in there, during which our only safe haven was the church - it seems it's the only part of the town not subject to turning into a nightmare. Pyramid Head wasn't the only kind of monster there, either, but it was the most significant. When the town finally let us out, we were a good thousand or two miles from Georgeton.

I'm recommending that Link, Suigintou, and Suiseiseki take the next week off to recuperate, and also making the service of Union psychologists available if they need it, though knowing them I would guess they won't make use. The Davidson family is being located to a new town where they can raise their daughter in peace, and covered under the Supernatural Victims stipend until they can financially support themselves again. For privacy reasons, only those present in the Silent Hill incident will be informed of their contact information.

One other interesting note: Lapis seemed unable to see any of the horrors that Silent Hill threw at the rest of us. I'm still not quite sure what this means, but I suspect it has something to do with her innocence.

Is nothing but a sheet of paper with a horribly drawn crayon image of a menacing looking man with a huge red triangle for a head and a stick? Or is that a spear…? It's the kind of drawing a 'disturbed' child would make.

There's some writing on it, but Suiseiseki's handwriting is too childishly scrawled to read~desu.

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